Six Degree of Darcy Lewis
by atheandra
Summary: Long time running story on bonds connecting Darcy to the Avengers. It will lead to a polyamorous relationship between Steve Rogers, Darcy Lewis and Clint Barton... It's messy, it's a lot of angst followed by happy times and a lot of fluff... Following the Avengers from before the #1 Iron Man
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

Children are taught that it's all about science, that at some point in the last century something happened to the ocean water and it had just changed people. Adults had been terrified when children started acting strangely all over the world. The governments had find out some scientists agreeing to sign and publish papers saying it was all natural, something to do with a massive sun eruption that had somehow change the molecular in the Earth's water supplies but since none of them was able to agree with their colleagues it had quickly became more confusing than helpful which was the intended purpose.

Of course not everyone was left in the dark, they needed actual researches to be done and founds to help get things along it was never intended for this situation to keep going for that long. Geneticists, chemists, physicists, Medical teams, radiation specialists as well as people that could help and create whatever was needed to help wrap things up to at least found out if it would be passed on to the next generation were brought together.

The World Conseil decided that Howard Stark and Hank Pym would share the responsibilities of the research. Not that the two men particularly gave them a choice anyway. Stark knew what had caused the changes and Pym was more 'friendly' toward other scientists and could help smooth things over.

A few years prior to the first documented change, Stark had pulled the Tesseract out of the water in his search for his friend Captain America. At that time he hadn't thought anything about it put the glowing cube in what he considered to be a safe place and only divulged his finding to Peggy Carter, SSR Agent, and Edwin Jarvis, his trusted everything who occasionally helped Peggy or Howard in SSR business.

After the changes became noticeable they were all knee deep into research, trying to figure out if maybe project Manhattan could have been responsible Stark and Pym asked a young genetic professor specialized in mutation for help. Charles Xavier told them important things:

only 25% of the new born children seemed to be affected, worldwide, but in the USA the percentage was closer to 35%

The change seemed to have started near the east coast

The mutation he was studying were brought on by genetics and were natural, but the global change that seemed to take place right know looked more like a induced modification of the child DNA in the same process Stark and Erskine had done to Captain America

Charles Xavier and his lab partner, Hank McCoy, told them that their theory was that the change happened from the water the mother drank while pregnant but they couldn't explain why it didn't affect everyone the same way or why some people weren't affected at all.

That's when Howard Stark started to be reminded of the Tesseract and decided to study it more closely with the help of the new found SHIELD.

In modern times every new born has the genetic change into their DNA code and research were still done to try and understand why.


	2. Darcy Lewis: The life of the other 1

**Darcy Lewis: the life of the other 1%**

By the time Darcy's generation came to life the changes had been the norm on new born, but Darcy was born without any bonding mark. Her parents were told that it still happened that some children were late bloomers that their parental bond would come to appear on her skin before her first birthday and if it was not the case there was nothing to worry about 1% of the children were still unmarked it had nothing to do with either them or her. Nurses told them to leave her with them in the nursery room so Darcy could be surrounded by other babies and that breast feeding might help the mother/daughter bond to appear but the sad smile on their faces didn't help with the guilt of not being able to bond with their daughter at all.

When her first birthday came around her father left them, he couldn't bear the thought of his daughter not loving him and the situation had damaged the bond he shared with Darcy's mother, he had left her a letter but she never opened it. Her mother staid with her kept her close, send her to daycare, to classes where she would be able to mingle and meet with other children, she was still hoping that maybe meeting one special person would fix her daughter.

One night when Darcy was 6, she woke up with a broken ankle or more accurately the hurt from her broken ankle woke her up, crying and screaming for her mother. They went to the emergency room, and her mother had told her that she needed to tell the truth to the doctors that she didn't care if Darcy had been doing something wrong she was not going to be grounded she promised but the doctors were going to need to know exactly what happened. The little girl obeyed saying she was just sleeping and she woke up like this to every doctors, nurses, or suited people who asked and her mother yelled at her and grounded her for lying to the people who could help her. After that night bruises started to appear randomly on Darcy's little body they would always fade in the spam of a day but people noticed and after her wrist got broken but Darcy wouldn't tell her teacher how it happened social services threaten to take her away from her mother.

Darcy knew her mother resented her, she had seen how 'normal mother' interacted with their marked daughter and it was just not the same. Darcy was responsible for them being forced to move every so often when someone started to noticed her bruises again. Darcy was driving away any potential love interest from her mother too, men who thought that she was the reason Darcy wasn't bonded. But she knew that her mom worked hard, had two jobs so she could provide for whatever Darcy could ever need trying to replace the love she thought her daughter would never experience with all the things she could buy and protecting her from nosy people.

Darcy had tried explaining to everyone who would listen, and considering her situation that made a long list of people, that grownups were wrong she loved her mother, and she could feel in herself that she was bonded to someone and that her body was just showing it differently. But they kept telling her that she had to stop lying and that it wasn't how it worked, repeating what some of her friends had told her about what a bond felt didn't mean she could feel it herself, and the duo would move again.

By the age of 8 she just gave up on trying to explain. Grownups were obviously stupid and if they didn't want to understand she was just going to keep it to herself. Wearing clothes that would cover her entire body all the time. Never going to parties where she would have to put on a swimming suit, doing whatever it takes to learn how to treat herself if she could avoid telling her mother or any other grownups it was fine with her. After that first broken ankle the injuries didn't hurt anyway and they would disappear without leaving any trace. When she blow her birthday candle that year,she wished that she would find someone who could understand her, she wish she could find the person who was getting all those bruises and save them. She knew it was a little girl not that much older than her she felt her being scared the first few times but she was too young to know how to help and no one would believe her apparently thinking that her mother was hurting her was fine with social services but Darcy telling them that someone was hurting her bonded friend was some kind of crazy little girl fantasy.

Her subterfuge was working well enough that they could settle down in a new town, she had time to make some friends for a change. The town was small enough that her mother was letting her go around without her. On the 4th of July, while their parents were eating near the town pound the group of kids decided to get closer to the impending fireworks, not used to have friends Darcy took their dare of seating right next to it even though none of them would want to come with her. Of course she learned then that even hidden her so called 'abnormality' wasn't something people were ready to accept and kids were even worse than adults. Darcy spend a week on an hospital bed, she wasn't really hurt, she could have been if she had have time to get closer to fire works by the time it started but as it was she had only lost her hearing sense and by the time they let her go back home it had all come back to normal.

It only took her a few days to make out that something was wrong, she was hearing just fine everything that was around her and that was okay, what was kind of scaring her was the fact that she could also hear thing that were not around her. Loud cheers, growling beast, funny music she only heard once when the circus was in one of the town they had stayed to. This time she knew better than to tell anyone something was wrong with her, even her mother, bond or not, at her age she knew that hearing voices in her head that were not hers would only lead to troubles and she already had enough of that.

At least this time she knew who she was linked to, his name was Clint, apparently something happened to him and he had problems with his ears, he had a lot of people around him that were trying to get his attention unsuccessfully sometimes, one of them was always angry at him, calling him archer boy as if it was an insult. She had to learn to cut off the link sometimes because Clint's life wasn't easy and she had fell asleep crying often enough not knowing how to help him either. Plus people were starting to figure out that she was distracted a lot and she needed to blend in as much as she could. She didn't want to cause her mother anymore grief.

Darcy liked taking care of people finding what would make them happy and she was old enough now that she was 10 to know that whoever she was bonded with when she finally found them they were going to need it.

After having spent the day in bed with a headache that had stayed for the last 2 days and that nothing and no one seemed to be able to stop she finally felt asleep, but it didn't last she kept seeing images of blooded bodies and people she knew should be screaming their mouths were open but it was like no sound could come out of it. She felt terrified and trapped, she had enough experiences with her weird bonds links by now to know that it was just a dream and it wasn't even hers but no matter what she just couldn't wake up it was like whoever was dreaming was remembering something reliving it and was stuck.

She had to try something and started thinking about unicorns and Disney princess and her school project, she had to make an exposé on Captain America for next week and it was not finished yet. That had calmed the soldier down. So Captain America it was going to be, for once she could be helpful and she was going to help whether the soldier wanted it or not. She got out of her bed and took her project out along with her history book and started working on it even though it was the middle of the night. She felt the bond in her brain starting to relax slowly it was soothing and from time to time in the 3 hours she kept working she felt a disapproving pull on her bond and checked her work to find one mistake or another sending back a annoyed 'it's 3am give me a break' pull he seemed to get just fine.

She didn't have to work on anything for this one the man seem to have gathered that she was just a young girl and figured out a way to not being in her head to much especially with the things he would see in his soldier life. But sometimes one of them would have a nightmare and just pulled the other awake sending soothing pictures across their bond until the other would calm down and go back to bed.

The soldier had changed work after a couple of years, and it involved a lot less nightmares, Darcy was a teenager by now and whenever she was bored she would try to pry on what he was trying to hide from her, because no one would actually be that happy doing that much paperwork ever. And he would never show her who he was working for. But he was the only one she could interact with so she kept bugging him anyway.

Her GirlBond had to be an adult by now and she must have learned to fight back because Darcy was having less injuries and bruises as time pass by but she still couldn't feel anything coming from her and she felt hurt about it.

Clint had left the circus after something awful had happened, but she didn't know what it was because she had been at school at that time so she had stopped listening to his surrounding, she never stopped listening after that, she didn't know his voice he didn't seem to talk ever to anyone sometimes there were cries and screams around him and he felt sad all the time and hungry a lot too.

She really needed to grow up faster to find them.


	3. In a soldier's head

1\. **In a soldier's head**

Phil Coulson was born with a lot of bond marks at a time where marked children were still a margin kind that needed to be studied. His mother had been glad to find out he had so many, they looked like little stars along his vertebras. Her son would have a constellation of friends and family that would love and protect him. Who wouldn't want that? Phil was a very nice kid, he was friendly with everyone he'd met. He would help their neighbors without asking for anything in exchange. He would beam with happiness whenever his father would come back from a mission and if he ever had to stay longer abroad then it was previously promised, little Phil would find a package from his father on the army postal service with all kind of Captain America related trinkets.

Once when his father had missed his returned date by almost a month, neither him nor his mother had been really surprised to see the General and the Chaplain come to knock on their door early morning. It had been okay though they knew it was a possibility and they even had been allowed to stay on base until Phil had finished High school because they knew he wanted to follow his father footsteps.

Phil had enlisted as soon as he had been given his high school diploma and didn't even stay the all summer with his mother before going to boot camp. But she knew it was going to happen and she was okay with it, she knew he would be protected there that whoever he was bonded with was going to help get him through it and their own mother/son bond would allow her to sooth him if he'll ever needed it.

In boot camp, Phil had met Nick Fury, Nick was one of the officer of the base. He was working on a special program and kept a lot of what he did on a daily bases a secret but that was fine with Phil he didn't feel the need to know what Nick was up to. They had knew they were bonded when they first bumped into each other on the outside of the general's office. They went to the mess hall and had fun talking about their respective lives for hours. They could have asked to be put on the same section bonded people often do but Phil had wanted to honor his father's memory and staid with the army. He had been deployed quickly after that and Nick had told him that he wasn't going to be easy to reach but their bond would tell them that the other was still okay. Shaking hands Nick left a piece of paper in Phil's hand, he put it quickly into his pocket to read later.

It took them 10 years of back and forth letters, and calls, of them both getting higher up into their respective forces to meet again. After a mission in the desert Phil had taken a pretty big blow to the head and had been out of commission for 2 days. He woke up in Germany with Nick sitting in a chair next to his bed. Nurses and doctors came to check up on him and pull off the IV and other equipment linked to him. The two men didn't exchange a single word during the proceeding.

"So you're going to take me up on my job offer yet?" was all Nick said before he disappeared.

Phil had lost a lot of soldiers and civilians in that last operation, thinking about them sent him into a panic attack. He was seeing his men getting shot, the children they were trying to protect screaming above his un-useful body after he had been send to the ground by an explosion in the house they were supposed to secure. He couldn't breathe, he could see the people in scrubs gathering around him trying to put an oxygen mask on his face or a syringe into his arm, he wouldn't let them, Nick was back at his side fending them off, he could feel his presence around him but it wasn't enough to pull him out of 'there'.

The unicorn, though, he didn't remember seeing any when his men had been dying around him, neither did he remember Disney Princesses being in the middle of the battle field. He had been so sure Nick prevent the medical people from drugging him and those made absolutely no sense but were helping a lot to pull him out of his mind. Then Captain America appeared to protect him somehow and that's when he realized he was safe and pulled off completely. He didn't say a word for hours and Nick didn't ask anything he must have felt it anyway; the new bond.

Phil had been terrified at first since whoever had access to his head had to be a little girl not even old enough to be a teenager, the image from his panic attack should have terrified her but she seemed okay with it, she helped anyway, she knew how and he kept wondering how she was able to feel so calm about being in his head.

She kept showing him pictures and writings about Captain America and he helped her do what looked like to be a school project. After about 3 hours, and a painful reminder from his brain that he needed to sleep, he felt awful for keeping her awake for this long in the middle of the night. He closed his eyes feeling her happy smile as well as Nick presence in his room.

"So you want to talk about it?" Nick asked before he even opened his eyes the next morning.

"She is just a little girl." Phil answered him

"Yeah I gather that much when you started asking about the unicorns" Nick rolled his eyes watching his friends redden, Phil had hope that part had been kept private but apparently he had been wrong.

"What I meant was what happened last night? What the hell did she do to you?" Nick asked with a cold voice.

Phil kept silent for 3 days after that refusing to answer any questions even if technically Nick had been his commanding officer. Nick left, putting a new piece of paper in his hand. Phil took 2 weeks of permission went to see his mother and talked about all of it with her. He did some digging in the different forms of bonding, going to see some people who claimed they could help but just knew how to saber the bond and it was not what he wanted to do.

Whoever that little girl was, she was fun and seemed to have an amazing heart but a hard life from what she showed him over those two weeks. She got an A+ for her paper on the Captain and was very proud of that but didn't seem to think it was a good thing. He remembered accidentally seeing a bruises she had on her harm and was trying to cover it up when she was helping him. She was doing research on library books about ASL. She didn't seem to live a 'normal' little girl life and sharing all those images with him were soothing her in some way.

He just needed to make sure she wouldn't be able to poke into his head without his permission. He wanted to protect her from what he was seeing everyday not send her away.

It took a little more time than the two weeks, closer to two months actually before he was able to voluntarily keep her out of his mind, he asked to be send back to combat zone. He stayed with the army for 2 more years, and kept, well talking wasn't exactly the right word since they could only exchange feelings and pictures their brains were conjuring off but he wasn't sure there was a better world for it, so he kept talking to the girl in his head.

On a regular evaluation his commanding officer started asking question about his bond marks. "How many he had? Did he ever met any of them? Would he betray the United States for them? Would he tell his commanding officers if one of them was an enemy?" And he answered honestly that he had had those marks since he was born but only had met the Commandant Fury, that he chose to join the army to honor his father who he used to be bonded to and he would never betray the values he was raised in for a bond mate.

His answers must have been satisfying because he was sent to a new special unit. Asked to keep a close eye on scientists who were studying bonds among the world population and they had learned that a few unmarked children from the latest generation were still able to form bonds when put under stress or facing traumatizing event. After two weeks spend their gathering whatever intel he could find on this General Ross and his operation, he finally made good use of the number Nick kept giving to him whenever they were meeting.

"Cater." a women voice answered drily.

"Bernard looked good in his captain suit" He had no idea what it was supposed to mean but she supposedly did so he waited for a few seconds.

"Fury has a strange sense of humor" she said not even playing along the agreed upon even weirder sentence she was supposed to feed him. "Coulson I assume."

It wasn't a question so he didn't answered it. "I am going to assume you know I wouldn't call if it wasn't important and I don't really have time for games." he told her coldly "I was hoping to speak with Nick but I have a building full of scientist willing to test Bond's limits on children and try to force bonds on unmarked children"

"You're in Ross' program?" she said turning off the faux flirting she was trying to pull on a minute before.

"Been there for 2 weeks would really like to get out of it before they decide to try any of their experiences on me." he told her so quickly he didn't even realize what he had said before it was too late.

"I have your location, we'll be there in 3 hours." she rushed out. "And Mr. Coulson please make sure to prevent them from erasing any information and do not get killed! Fury would be insufferable if you get hurt again"

24 hours later he was in the safety of the Triskelion, signing over his debrief documents for the 'rescue' mission, so they had rescued a few kids but he wasn't one of them, hadn't been in any danger, he had been a rescuer, Fury would tease him on it forever .

"You know, you could have told me you were working for Director Margaret Carter in at least one of your job offers, it might have moved things quicker" he said to Nick after signing his last papers.

"Then those children will still be with Ross" Carter answered for them both.

"What's going to happen to him?" Phil knew nothing was going to happen to Ross it wasn't the first dark op the man was caught conducting and he was still there.

"Coulson," Peggy said in an authoritative voice making both men look at her. "Why did you say you were going to end up as a lab rat if you didn't get out? You're not a child and you have plenty of bond marks according to your military record"

Phil wince and glanced at Fury, the little nod his friend gave him let him know it was safe to talk.

"Bond mates are usually attracted to each other or feel the other needs, fear, anger, or whatever feeling the bond might be able to transmit across a certain distance." he started as Director Carter sat down waiting for him to keep going.

"Two years ago I was injured and suffered from a brain trauma as my record sure specify. But what it doesn't say is that it opened a new bond in me."

Peggy stood up and went for his record. "It doesn't say anything about it in here. Fury is recorded as your only known bond"

"Okay first: is it really wise to write that down?" Coulson asked having not realized yet that it was written for everyone to see. "And second: that's why I didn't tell anyone. She was just a little girl, she's a teenager now but she doesn't deserve to be question." He just couldn't stop himself feeling that Nick would protect her and that Peggy wasn't a tread to the girl anyway. "I don't know who she is or what she looks like."

"Wait what do you mean you don't know? You have to have met her for the bond to open." this time the interruption had come from Nick, he had never asked question, if the little girl he had spoken about had help his friend she was good in his books.

"She just pops up in my head send me images of her life, I know she can see in my head too but I learned to control it so she doesn't have access all the time, with my work it would have been traumatizing for her"

"What do you mean she send you images?" one of them asked he wasn't even paying attention anyway.

"Exactly what it says. The first time after Germany was when I got back at my mom's I tried to control what I was sending her back because I knew what she first got had been my panic attack from that day" He continued looking at Nick "so I focused on her and let her see my room that my mother kept like if I was still a 12 year old boy" if remembering his collectible Captain America merchandises from his teenage bedroom while talking to Peggy Carter wasn't embarrassing nothing will ever be. "And she send me back images of her own room although I guess they were not live because they looked like a collection of picture more than a direct view"

"When I realized the connection worked both ways I did research to control my end of it." He took a deep breathe looking at both of them with the most serious face he was capable of. "She can only access what I agree to when I agree to it."

"Why not just cut the link all together" Peggy asked nicely clearly thinking it was for the well-being of the little girl.

The glare Phil sent her must have been enough for her to drop that subject all together.

"So about that job offer" he said to cut through the silence. "Does it still stand?" before either of the others can add anything he specified one thing that was not negotiable. "Our previous talk never gets out of this door and it will never be tested. It's secured and anyway I don't know who she is and she doesn't know my name either"

He signed off his new contract and became level 5 Agent Coulson and hour later.

"Just so you know" the director called out before he got out of her office "I worked with Stark and Pym when they were studying the first bonds, I never heard about anything like this before"

Well that was first hand confirmation of what he read but he was sure the strangeness of the bond wasn't coming from him anyway so he wouldn't do them any good to investigate further.

 _Later down the road:_

He had his eyes focused on the reports he was supposed to fill in and didn't notice someone entered his office until he was sitting in the chair in front of him.

"Girl problems?" Nick asked

"You're hilarious, she is trying to pry again, I don't even really have paperwork to do right now but she keeps sending me those weird pictures and I was hoping paperwork would help her focus a little before I get a new headache." he let his head fall onto his desk.

"I don't think giving yourself a new head injury is going to help" Nick said really unhelpful today.

"Don't you have an office and people to scare off of it by raising an eyebrow to?" Phil asked hoping his friend would let him suffer in peace.

"You're giving me a headache, were bonded too remember?" Nick sighed. "I came to help you figure out what's wrong with her"

"I'll tell you what's wrong with her" Phil was suddenly on his feet getting to the door to close it. "She is a teenager and she is bored and she thinks paperwork shouldn't be this important to people ever so she is trying to know what I am hiding." He was standing just behind Fury and lowered himself to whisper "she is trying to get in to see my dreams Nick. The not teenage appropriate ones"

Phil was on his last nerve ready to crack open and Nick was laughing at him just sitting right there looking at him and laughing. Phil couldn't help it he started laughing too. After a while they both stopped.

"Maybe we could hire her, she seems to have fun ideas on how to torture a man" Fury piped up trying to get his breathing under control again when he got no answer he quickly took a look at his friend. Phil was on the floor gripping his head in his hand barely breathing and tears were running along his cheeks.

Fury pulled him up and help him get to the door they were going to the medical bay right now.

"No!" Phil cried out and went the other way sitting haphazardly on the couch.

"Phil what the hell was that? We are going to Med Bay it's an order" and he tried to pry his friend from the couch to the door again.

"She wasn't trying to pry she wanted help that why it wouldn't stop» Phil tried to explain and stirred them back to the couch. "You, laughing it made me relax and it all came at once, that's why it hurts, I'm okay" Nick sat down next to him and waited for the rest of the explanation.

"Okay, I think she wants me to find someone, it's urgent and it's very important" Phil said trying and falling to get up to his desk.

"How does she know you can find people, Coulson?" Phil had a moment of doubt at that in private Nick never called him Coulson. Did he not trust him anymore?

"I didn't tell her anything Director Fury" he said with all the venom he could put through while still being respectful of a superior, bond or not Fury would not hesitate to send him to Siberia if he was out of line.

"She knows I was a soldier and even without that I am the only adult she knows apart from her mother and some of her teachers I don't think they'd be of great help" it was his theory and if Fury wasn't happy with it than Siberia it would be. He knew Nick would look for the person she asked him to save while he was there.

Fury growled and stood up helping him to the desk. "Okay, what did she gave you?"

"I think she's been working on it for a while she made a vision board for me." Phil smiled, Nick didn't, so they went back to it, Phil tried to remember everything while Nick was taking notes and making suggestion in the margin.

"Okay so there was her ASL cover book, Picture of Robin woods in several movies, and a target practice for archery, an anatomy picture with several pain medication glued on it and several 'no food' signs all across the board" Phil tried to concentrate to remember more but the sudden afflux of information was giving him a massive headache.

"Are we looking for a male or a female, any range about the age, or a place they might be or might have been at?" Nick new he was pushing he could feel it but Phil would feel guilty if he didn't debrief immediately and loose some important information in the process.

"A purple circus but it looks like it was torn and drawn a while back." Phil opened his eyes and they were blood red, his nose was starting to bleed.

"Times up, Med Bay now you can't give me any more info anyway." Phil let Nick drag him to the medical service scaring the hell out of any agents that might have been in their way.

There was one more info in his head he could feel it but it wouldn't clear out suddenly he remembered seeing her notebook when she was studying ASL and all over the pages again and again one name. "Clint" was the last thing he said before he passed out for the next 24hours.

When he woke up no one asked what happened apparently Fury had told everyone it was highly classified and they were staying with that. They called the director who asked him to come to his office as it was more private.

Phil made his way to the 39th floor keeping his back against the elevator wall to stay upright.

When he entered the director's office several other agents were already there, he recognized Agent May, Agent Sitwell, and Agent Rumlow they were all level 5 agents and were excused as soon as he got in, leaving only Fury and honorary director Carter in the room.

"Your girl has access to dangerous and highly classified information Phil." he knew that Peggy would have called him Agent Coulson if he was in trouble but that's not what he was concerned about right now.

Nick helped him to the far corner couch and the three of them sat in silence for a while.

"So you found Clint I assume." he finally said.

"Hawkeye, marksman for hire, preferred weapon bow but totally skilled with armed weapon too, he is the best marksman, self-taught in the circus he grew up in, the only info that don't go with the profile is the ASL books." Nick read the file outload.

Phil grunted he might have an idea or two about that anyhow it was not what was important there. "I don't suppose we know where he is at?"

"Oh we know where he is just fine! I just don't like my agents coming back here with arrow holes in them" Peggy added.

"You send people to kill him?" Phil was up and ready to go after the agents that just leaved in a second and felt dizzy for it.

"Calm down! We never send anyone to him but other tried and failed." Fury said sitting him back on the couch.

"Just to be clear you want to arrest him? Kill him? Or hire him?" Phil asked looking at both directors.

"Hire him would be preferable, arrest him if he doesn't cooperate with that plan, killing him would only be acceptable in self-defense." Fury and Carter both answered his question.

"So you're giving me a strike team to go hire a 22 year old circus boy?" Phil asked still not sure of what was going on here.

"It's a Delta team, he is a marksman, and you might trust your girl's instinct but that doesn't mean we can't take a few precaution." Fury argued.

"She said he was hurt" Phil piped up.

"Take someone from medical with you" Fury dismissed him with a pat on the back. If the relief Phil was sensing coming from him was anything to be relied on the medical team was already waiting and had been asked to look over him not particularly over Hawkeye.

The mission to retrieve Hawkeye, Clint Barton, Archer extraordinaire, had been a walk in the park, the man was exactly were the intel had said he would be, he didn't even try to shoot at them, but he took a little convincing to get into the jet and to the medical team. Phil had learned ASL for the little girl thinking she would be the one needing it so he didn't particularly learn threats or insults but he had an idea about what Clint told him after Phil had shot him in the leg telling him that if broken fingers and cracked ribs didn't convince him he needed medical attention maybe that would. Clint had follow him gently after that.

Phil managed to make him sign the recruit's papers on the flight back to the Triskelion, just by signing to him "She sent me" not even believing it would work.


	4. A deafening scream in an ocean of sil

**A deafening scream in an ocean of silence.**

Clint Barton didn't have marks when he was born but it was not the unusual in his generation or in his family, Barney, his brother didn't have any either. At school they learned that people with marks in there time were mostly only family bond from parents for genetics reason no one could explain. But it certainly explain why they didn't have any, bond marks were supposed to be physical proofs of love, and Clint was starting to think that his broken nose, his few cracked ribs, the bruises he was showing sometimes were proof enough of his parents love.

The nice lady from social services, that came to take Barney and him from the precinct after his drunk father had managed to beat their mother to death and then killed himself, didn't seem to understand why the boys were thanking her or why they were happy to be placed in an orphanage with no parents.

The couple that were taking care of the kids at the orphanage were not nice and didn't have an ounce of parental bone in their bodies but the boys had each other and they were happy with it. One time as they were eavesdropping using the vent again and were probably going to be punished again, they heard a couple saying that they were interested in adopting Clint because he was still young but Barney was too old and too damaged they didn't want to take care of a broken teenager, the night after that the bothers disappeared.

They lived on the street for a while crossing to the next state to be sure no one would be looking for them. They bathed in the river when they were in the country and if he cleaned up nice enough Clint could charmed every old ladies in the small town they were passing by to give him some food he would share with his brother. When they were coming across bigger cities Barney always managed to find money sometimes just enough for food sometimes enough for a room or a theater movie to get away from the rain. When the first winter came they found themselves in a little town that seemed to have been almost deserted but they found a circus who was staying there until the snow was going away and they were going to practice and learn new shows in the meantime. They offered the boys a place in the show.

It was a good life, Barney was good with knives and people while Clint was a good acrobat and had learned how to use a bow and arrow to perfection.

After a few years, the circus was like a family to them. One time though Clint went into town after a show and was faced with an entire gang of city people that apparently got ripped off, their money stolen and a few house visited while the all town had been at the show. Clint assured them that he knew nothing about that, that his people were not that kind of person that they would never do that. But they got on him and he was beat up so badly that he lost his sense of hearing, not all of it but 85% he could only hear if people were speaking really loudly into his ears. The doctor had told him that hearing aids would help him get almost all of it back but he was just a carnie boy and those were really expensive.

He stayed a week in the next town hospital after that and only Barney had come to visit him. Although he said nothing to the cops who tried to question him acting like he didn't know how to read or write and Barney not denying that, he asked Barney about the theft and Barney got mad at him telling him (writing him) that he was ungrateful and asking him how he could think so badly about the people who had adopted them.

Clint went back to the circus after that, working twice as hard because without his hearing he was losing some of his balance too, but not being able to hear the cheers from the town folks or the praise from his friends after a job well done was taking something out of him. And he stopped talking to people all together after the hospital and Barney telling him that he was shouting for everyone to listen when all he could hear coming from himself was the ghost of a whisper.

He didn't do it on purpose but he started noticing that he knew the circus troupe so well he could read their lips and know what they were saying. He spied on them, for practice he told himself but it was really because what he was caughting up on made him think that the people who had him beat up had been right all along.

He went to Barney, after gathering some proofs, to tell him that they had to go, they would find another circus with honest people to work with, but Barney started yelling at him, he didn't catch it all but he got easily that it had partially been Barney's idea that he had been doing it since the orphanage and that if he didn't like the way it was he was free to go for a price.

That's how he ended up in the Emergency room with his right hand fingers all broken. Since he had nowhere to go and was still a minor, from what he had told them, the people at the hospital kept him there, putting him in the empty prison ward after the third time he tried to escape, he would never trust anyone who said it was for his own good ever again.

Some of the nurses at the hospital knew sign language and since he was there for at least 3 months they started teaching him. It wasn't easy between a reluctant student and the fact that one of his hand couldn't be used but they managed and he got at of there with enough to be able to survive.

He spent a few months living on the street stealing only what he needed to eat, an apple at a fruits stand, a pie cooling of, corn in a field, he learned to be hungry, learn how to fish, how to make his own bow and arrows to hunt. Eventually he ended up in New York City some people got interested in his talent when they saw him fight in a back street in Brooklyn and he showed them that he could do better than that took his bow and arrow and shot a bird right of the sky.

People found him jobs to do. The marks were not Birds anymore but the bow got better, he was paid a lot of money and only chose the jobs if he decided the marks deserved what was coming for them. He wasn't stupid he knew that some of the info people gave him were full of bullshit but then he'll just go and ask the mark a better price to kill who ever hired him in the first place if that was the case. Even did a few jobs for free playing vigilante when the criminals were stupid enough to beat a kid in front of him or rape a woman outside of his nest.

He lived in a world of bad money, red blood, and ever growing silence. He couldn't even use the money, donated most of it to orphanage or hospitals or whatever charities he was finding in his way, kept only enough to eat until the next job. Hoping and dreading the day someone would hire him to kill Barney or any of the people from the circus.

One night, he found himself in an abandoned building the temperature had dropped dramatically due to a windy weather and he needed the protection, he was so tired he didn't even checked to see if he was alone in building, found the first flat surface and felt asleep on it. Anyway his last marks had left him with bruises and ribs that barely allowed him to walk and breathe at the same time so sleep was his only option at that point.

He was startled awake by the scream of a young girl and he was so surprised that it took him a second too long to see the man in front of him who was ready to crush his hand with his foot. He didn't even screamed at that punch the guy with his other hand found his quiver took an arrow and planted it into the man heart. It took him a while to get his own heart to slow down and his head to get straight again, everything in him hurt but he needed to find the girl, he hadn't heard anything in years, he wasn't sure he would ever forget that terrified screamed. He looked on every floor of the building, no one else was there no other men, and no girl.

He tried and cleared his throat, it had to be the only muscle he hadn't use in years.

"If there is someone else in there it is safe, I am not going to hurt you" he said hoping that it was loud enough to be heard. He tried again "I am not going to hurt you but I can't hear you if you want something I'll be on the first floor."

Well that had to be enough, he couldn't do better anyway.

As he started to walk to the stairs he heard it again. Not a scream this time but a beautiful crystal voice talking smoothly.

"I really like your voice" she told him.

He turned around but no one was there and anyway he shouldn't have been able to hear her.

"Where are you?" he asked hoping she would show herself

"Oh sorry, Hi! I am Darcy! I've been trying to talk to you for a while don't know why it worked this time! Hey, maybe it's because you were sleeping, or maybe it was because you were in immediate danger! I really don't know how all of this work!" she took a pause long enough to breath but not long enough for him to find anything to say. "Oh! Not that I judge of your day job at all but did you killed the bad man or do I need to monitor you again to be sure he doesn't try to kill you again?"

"No, he's dead." he said without thinking. "Wait! What?" he thought and the girl didn't answer. "Did I scare you off?" he asked out loud this time.

"No! Why?" she seemed genuinely surprised that he could think that.

"I asked what you were talking about?" he repeated.

"Did you ask it or did you think it? Because FYI I can't read your thoughts; not like with the other one" she started giggling and it was the most wonderful sound he ever heard.

"But you're in my head!" he stated

"Are you deaf?" she sighed "sorry that's rude but I've been wondering for years. Even learned how to sign in case I actually got a chance to meet you."

"I'm deaf. And while we are being rude and all, who the hell are you?"

"First language please I'm only 15." even she couldn't repressed the laugh that went with that. "Second I am Darcy, already told you and you're Clint. Like the name by the way"

He stayed silent waiting to know if she would go on on her own, she sure seemed to have a lot to tell him for someone he never met.

"So you want the short version or the long one?"

"Short" he stuttered

"Right yeah sleeping, I woke you up and all. So I am weird. Got born without any marks but all those connections to people just keep happening to me, there is the girl, although she must be a woman by now, who keeps getting hurt and somehow all her injuries end up on my body, but they don't hurt just bleed sometimes so no worries there, , the soldier he is fun I can see images from his brain and he can see images from mine, he's not a soldier anymore does a lot of paperwork, although I think he does that on purpose to bore me more than my classes, and you, I got deaf for a week when I was little woke up hearing voices of people that were not there, after sometimes of being called Clint I figured the voices were around you but you couldn't hear them." She finished and took a deep breath.

"You sure that was the shorter version? How can you even talk for that long without breathing?" he asked calmer now that he had been since the social worker lady. Darcy's voice was soothing.

"Well I never actually get to talk about this to anyone so I got over exited, you can't blame a girl. Plus as I was saying I've been trying for years to talk to you every way I could think off and it had never work I don't know if this will last long."

"Darcy?" he whispered falling slowly asleep lulled by her voice.

"Yeah?" she answered cheerfully.

"Please! Still be there when I wake up" it was the last he said that night she kept talking to him for few minutes before hearing light snores on the back ground.

When he woke up his back against the stairs walls he yawned and immediately was shot with the loud memory of the night before.

"Clint!" Darcy yelled at him

"Wow girl would you mind turning the volume down you're the only thing I have heard for years remember" he yawned again getting downstairs to retrieve is stuff and his arrows and maybe find if there was a coffee place in town.

"Sorry I am over caffeinated" she said in a smaller voice

"You're 15!" he protested.

"So?" she asked but didn't wait for him to answer. "How would you like to meet the soldier? And would you be okay telling me where you are it would be so much easier"

"I am not so sure I want to spend the rest of my life in jail so I am going to pass on both" His hand hurt so much he grunted.

"You're hurt again!" she reprimanded him as if it was not the first time she was telling him. "And you wouldn't go to jail. I am the only who knows and I will not tell him what you did"

He hissed he hadn't thought about that. "What do you mean you know?"

"Screams, gun shot, someone called Trick..." he didn't let her finish that thought

"And you don't care?" he asked surprised.

"Well first the bond tells me you don't really enjoy it, I heard people you told they were target thanking you; I suppose they were good people, and whatever you do I think that Woman on the third bond has it rougher than that so I don't judge. Even the soldier is not a saint."

"So if I say yes how does it work?" Clint asked out of curiosity and because she made him realize how lonely this last few years had been.

"That's where the coffee comes in. I can only send mental pictures to the soldier so i made a board with stuff I know about you, you know legal stuff like the bow the circus, the sign language I try to send it to him and hope he knows people who can help with the finding you part."

"So you're not even sure it will work." He sounded sad even to his own ears.

"No, he's been trying to hide something from me and doesn't let me send him things as easily as I use to." she made a sob sound and stayed silent for a while.

"Clint, Please let me try I don't want you to be hurt anymore." well, how could he resist that.

"I'll be in this town for 2 days just the time for my ribs to heal enough after that I have to move again. So I guess you have 2 days."

After that she got silent for hours while he moved all of his stuff to a higher level, bandaged his ribs, made a makeshift splint for his fingers by braking one of his blood soaked arrow and tried to sleep again, somehow knowing that Darcy was listening in made him feel safer even though all of this still made no sense to him what so ever.

By the time Darcy woke him up it was dark out she told him that the message was passed on but she didn't know how long it would take for anyone to come in. He didn't tell her that he wasn't thinking anyone would come in anyway. He ate the stash of food the dead guy had hide while listening to the longer version of her life story and falling asleep again.

When he woke up in the morning Darcy was calmly whispering like a mantra, "don't shoot him, don't shoot him, don't shoot him" he understood when he saw a man in a suit trying to sign without letting his gun down, he was wondering which one of them Darcy was praying wouldn't kill the other, up until the man shot him in the leg to get him to agree to medical.

After Clint had signed the Shield's papers he was wondering how much Darcy had just learned about her soldier by listening in on everything happening around him. He sure was not letting any of them know someone was listening in. And if he was smiling from time to time that was just between him and all the things Darcy were whispering in his ear as if anyone else would be able to hear her anyway.


	5. Fitting In vs hiding out: Darcy's Life I

**Fitting In vs hiding out: Darcy's Life In plain Sight**

 _"Mr. Barton, I am Agent Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, I've been send here to help you, if you would just follow me" Agent Coulson was talking to Clint very gently apparently the soldier forgot or didn't get the deaf part of the vision board, when he send those people in._

 _"Clint, I am so sorry I swear I didn't know he was going to send government people, I promised you'd be safe." Darcy got quiet for a while._

 _"Look you don't know us I get it, but maybe you could at least let the medical team check you out, that hand looks like it hurts." the Agent continue._

 _"Maybe if you just don't speak to them they'll fix you and let you go, there is no reason they'd know what you do for a living right?" Darcy was starting to panic, she wanted Clint to be safe but he only let her do her thing because she had promised he would not go to prison._

 _She heard a fire gun shot and Clint whining, than Agent Coulson's voice was much closer._

 _"Now would you let them look at you?" Agent Coulson asked._

 _"Did he just shot you? Who is this guy? This is crazy? Who shoots someone just because they don't want to see a doctor? What kind of government agency is that?" Darcy kept ranting while Clint was brought to a jet and fussed over by medical personnel._

The two weeks after that were far from easy, Darcy felt betrayed by her soldier, she had asked his help for a friend, and Clint got shot when she had promised he'd be safe. For the first time since their bond had appeared she started putting up walls in her mind, she used to be able to keep Clint away she sure as hell would be able to keep him from invading her mind too. She could feel that he was doing the same on his end which was just fine with her.

Clint spend the two weeks in a medical facility called 'Triskelion', she tried googling it see if maybe she could visit and finally meet him but according to the internet the place didn't exist, neither was the Strategic blahblahblah Agent Coulson claimed to work for . Agents were coming and going from Clint's room, asking question he kept ignoring, he was ignoring his doctors too, one of them had talked to him about hearing aids for about an hour, Darcy assumed he was telling him all of this in ASL too, because doctors from unexciting government agency couldn't be stupid, or at least she was hoping so. Unfortunately that meant he kept ignoring Darcy too, she kept apologizing as often as she could but he never answered back.

After about 10 days of focusing on cutting the soldier off while trying to get Clint back she was so distracted that when the heat wave hit the town and the high school she was studying at didn't have better than a fan to offer to overheated teenagers, she just pulled her over-top off in the middle of class, revealing her cute tank top marked "Bond, James Bond" on the front and "With everyone" on the back.

She got called into the director's office, she started arguing that her top wasn't that offensive and even though she had more assets to show off than the other girls at school she couldn't be forced to bake in class just so her boobs wouldn't offend people, when she saw her new worst friend coming in. Miss Marquez was really nice, she had already visited Darcy's house three times in the 6 months since her mother and she had moved in.

Who knew that social services in a little town of the middle of nowhere Montana had nothing better to do? Who knew there would be social services here? Darcy didn't even know she had a bruise covering half of her back at the moment she couldn't seriously be asked to know everything. Miss Marquez asked her usual question, how, why, who, did she need help? It went on for hours and when she was finally let out she had been told that Miss Marquez would be visiting during next week, which usually meant in two to three days, it being Friday was just giving Darcy and her mom a little more time to plan for something.

Darcy spend all weekend trying to get Clint's attention she really needed someone to talk to someone who maybe would understand. But he kept silent and even worst by Monday after a new visit from the ENT specialist she got totally cut off of Clint. She had woke up that way, not a sound around her apart from her mother franticly cleaning the house, it was late enough for Clint to normally have people fussing around him, or at least the beeping sounds from the monitors but all she got was white noise and nothing else.

That night while she was once again packing her life away in a hurry, trying to not cry while her mother was on a phone with an aunt they hadn't bugged yet, she looked at the vision board, at her ASL books, her 'soldier friendly' bumper stickers collection, turned around locked her bedroom door and left it all there. They both wanted to forget about her she wasn't going to live her life waiting for them, they were safe as far as she knew and she wasn't, neither was her third bond, they'll just stay between girls from now on.

Aunt Shelbey lived in Las Vegas, not a city Darcy would have chosen to live in if given the choice but she had long lost the right to complain about that kind of things in her mother's opinion. At least Vegas was a touristic city people wouldn't notice them here.

Between the few state changes, the hiding from social services and the fact that Darcy wasn't a big fan of the idea to begin with, she didn't went back to High school. Her mother and aunt Shelbey worked night jobs in a strip casino and were making enough money for Darcy to be able to take the year off, anyhow at 16 she couldn't really find a job in the city on sins, she studied hard to get her GED before her 17 birthday came around, she had previously checked the State record and made a few mistakes on purpose on her answering sheet, she didn't need to make the news, being smart wasn't a contest, at least not for her.

Her mother met a cashier at work, he didn't seem to care about Darcy's weirdness, or about the fact that he wasn't her bond mate, he was in love with her and nothing else seemed to mater. Darcy's mother on the other hand, was always waiting for something to happen, for them to have to move away again, Darcy blamed herself for it. She took the SATs, send applications to schools as far away from Vegas as she could and after a few months, she used a few of the things she had learned listening in on Clint, or watching her soldier, to forged a letter from NYU saying that she was getting a full scholarship and she could start next fall. Her mother had organized a little intimate good bye party for her and Darcy had convinced her future Step father that it was the perfect time to propose. Since they didn't have a lot of money she already knew her mother wouldn't be able to drive her to NY and she had a good excuse for not coming home for a while, she promised to call every week as well as to come home in time to be a perfect maid of honor.

Aunt Shelbey took her to the nearest Greyhound station, gave her all the money had saved that year, Darcy might have been able to fool her mother because she was willing to believe that for once something great was happening in her daughter's life, but her aunt had saw right through her.

"Aunty I can't" Darcy protested trying to give her the money back.

"Just promise me to be safe, it's just enough to go by until you find a job" Shelbey insisted and hugged Darcy.

Darcy got out of the car to retrieve her tickets at the booth.

"Name and ID card please." the woman asked and Darcy handed her her brand new ID card.

"Max Black, I ordered a one way ticket for New York" Forged University letters wasn't the only things living on the run had taught Darcy and if Shelbey had been able to see through the fake college life she knew no one would look for Max Black.

Max moved in New York found a nice little place with really friendly rats in Williamsburg and a waitress job that allowed her to never explain why she didn't have a valid social security number or a resume. Best of all when she showed up with bruises on the back of her thigh for the first time she just told her "seemingly" concerned co-workers it had come from amazing rough sex and they all left it to it. She liked that life, apart for her weekly calls to her mother and the occasional bruises, cuts or broken bones, she could have believed she was Max Black. She liked this life way better, She told everyone she had no interest in Bonds, that she thought it was nice fairytales for children but that grown-ups had to live with 'free booze for big boobs' and 'I'll tip you more if you lose a button babe' as a life modo and that she was perfectly fine with that.

Darcy was happy being Max, she could be sarcastic and loud and she didn't have to hide who she was inside. But she was still Darcy and when her aunt Shelbey left a voice mail reminding her that her mother's wedding was coming and she had promised to be there, telling her she'd pay for Darcy to come to Vegas for what was supposed to be Spring Break so they could go dress shopping and throw her mom a bridal shower party, Darcy had taken 3 day to her back to her. She told her she'd be there for spring break but she didn't need her to pay for the tickets and it was true Darcy had some savings she was planning to come back home for the wedding and be able to spoil her mother and gave aunt Shelbey her money back. But the real reason she didn't want the tickets was because she had planned to rent a car for this long trip, it would be expensive for sure but it would give her more time to let Max go and be the nice and discreet Darcy everyone was waiting for to come back home.

She was in the middle of nowhere, and for once she didn't thought about that in a teenage 'the nearest theater is two towns over' way but more in a 'my car broke down in the middle of the Mojave Desert with no cell reception' kind of grown up 18 years old way.

She decided to be a reasonable adult and pouted in her car waiting for an eventual Alien invasion to take place so she could carpool in their Spaceship. Because nothing else could reasonably happen it had to be a 100 to hell outside the only thing still working on her car was the AC which would eventually die down too, she hadn't seen a single human being since yesterday and she was pretty sure the vultures she could hear just fine were waiting for her to die of a heat stroke to declare diner ready.

In all fairness, she never took mechanics classes and she didn't know that waiting with the AC on would not cool down the engine when she tried to turned the ignition on again and the car caught fire she just had time to get out of it before it explode.

She woke up in pain, a small part of her brain remembered her history lessons on Atlas and she screamed hoping to send any vulture that were probably trying to eat her alive away.

"I am so sorry, I don't know what I am doing, I called 911 they'll be there soon, please don't die." She heard a man telling her but her eyes refused to open. Her brain hurt, her chest hurt, broken ribs her mind supplied, she was pretty sure she had a broken wrist and a dislocated shoulder to go along with it, she knew those well, her girl had experienced some over the years. She heard the man apologies again and again, she tried to tell him it was okay, she'll heal even though she didn't remember injuries having hurt her in a while, suddenly she realized the injuries were hers not coming from the bond and started to panic, opening her eyes only for the too bright sunlight to blind her. She must have passed out because next thing she heard was someone speaking gibberish doctor stuff that she wasn't even sure was English.

She spend the next few hours between consciousness and plain white unmasked pain.

"Miss Black Please calm down." someone told her and she only panicked more.

She didn't recognized the place she was feeling like someone was trying to reap her heart from her chest, they had to restrain her so she wouldn't hurt herself further but it only made her feel trapped, he skin was on fire, every nerves of her body was in pain and all she was hearing were doctors saying they already gave her everything they could for it. She passed out again, hoping maybe she'd wake up in a motel somewhere and it would have been just a bad dream.

"I don't understand, she has a few broken bones but apart from that she is in perfect condition" she heard a woman say the next time she woke up.

"It's just not possible, do it again, she keeps coding and I can't give her anymore pain meds before we find out why." The same man from before told the woman.

Coding? Did she keep dying? A burst of flame seemed to go right through her heart and she cried out opening her eyes and seeing the scared look of the doctors and nurses around her. She vaguely remembered mumbling something before, passing out again, or coding again since it seemed to be more accurate.

She kept getting in and out of consciousness for a while noticing more little things each time. Her shoulder had been put back to place, her wrist put in a cast, people kept bringing flowers in her room although the fact that they kept calling her 'Max Black' because it had been the papers that had been found on the remains of her car told her that she knew no one here. She was still restrained because the pain meds had no effect on her and she was reacting violently to any pain inflicted to her, or to her companion.

At first she hadn't understand what they meant but after about 2 weeks, her wrist and her shoulder stopped hurting so much her brain couldn't think about anything else and her heart stopped drumming so hard in her ears. She could calm down enough to have a real talk with whoever was in charge of her when she was awake.

"Excuse me!" she said politely to the nurse who was checking her vitals again. "Where do those flowers come from?"

"I think the man who saved you keeps bringing them. He feels guilty even though the doctors explained that sometimes it happens with CPR"

"Broken ribs?" Darcy asked to no one in particular and the nurse just nodded.

It explained the cannula of oxygen she supposed, she took a look around before asking. "Why am I still in the chirurgical wing? I thought everything was fine. The last Doctor said so."

The nurse paled and bumped the coding button behind Darcy's head.

"Why did you do that? I am perfectly fine!" Darcy said without crying even though the alarm was reasoning in her head.

"Protocols." the Nurse simply answered as a small army of doctors, interns, and nurses entered her room.

After a quick moment of panic on everybody parts, the room started to clear out.

"Miss Black," (Darcy winced) "I'll answer whatever question you may have?" the same doctor she remembered from the emergency room told her.

"Okay, where am I? What happened? Can you get rid of the restrain? Can you get rid of the flowers, and/or the flowers guy? Did someone opened me up? Why am I in the Chirurgical wing? Why do people keep talking about a companion?" she took a deep breath when the machine next to her started to beep loudly. "How long as it been?" she finally asked looking at him in silence for about 30 seconds before getting annoyed by his blank face. "Feel free to answer in whatever order you like."

"First it's been 2 weeks. The flower guy?" He raised an eyebrow at her "I think it's more a 'that girl is cute' than an 'I feel guilty' thing. You should try telling him you're not interested because short of telling him you're dead he is not going to go away."

Humor, well that was good, doctors didn't joke with dying patient, right? Right!

"Your car exploded in the desert, happens a lot around here" yeah she remembered that part, he showed her a bag in the closet near the window of her room. "That's all of what was retrieved from it sorry" She was not about to tell him that there wasn't much more in that car than that bag to begin with anyway.

"You're in a military hospital, we're the closest facility with medical staff for miles so the EMT brought you here because you kept coding" he said simply. Darcy did everything she could to not panic at the mention of the military, but all the machines she was still hooked to started beeping - traitors-.

"It's Okay Miss Black, we brought you back every time" he said, he was thinking her panic attack was about the coding and she was not going to deny it. "Or at least something did" he mumbled but she heard it loud and clear and started to panic for real pulling at her restrains.

"See that's why we have the restrains you keep hurting yourself." he said helping her back into her bed and putting a pillow on her low back for her to be more comfortable.

"It's not the only reason though? What's going on?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"The answer to that should help with a few of your questions." he said and took her charts sitting in the very uncomfortable looking chair next to her bed.

"You arrived here 2 weeks ago, kept coding and screaming in pain for almost 12 hours straight we did all the tests we could think of but nothing was wrong with you at some point you must have been awake enough to hear the medical staff talking because before coding again after saying you felt like your heart was burning" Darcy interrupted him.

"I love how you said coding as if you said I sneezed, how many time did I died exactly?"

"At that time, 5 times" she looked at him in choc. "After that about a dozen more time in a week" Darcy swallowed hardly and nodded for him to continue.

"So you were coding," he said again "sneezing" she interrupted him "please" she said and he nodded.

"You were sneezing" he made a little smile "and you said "Not me. Bond" before sneezing for real. We did some more test and didn't find any bond mark on you"

"I know" she said in a little voice.

"Okay well that answers one of my question then." the doctor said. "The next time you cod- sneezed after that there was nothing more for us to do. Giving you more meds would only kill you as quickly as the sneezing did and there was nothing for us to operate on since you were perfectly fine, your broken ribs didn't even puncture any of your organs" he said still almost awed after 2 weeks.

"Lucky me" Darcy sighed. "If you couldn't give me anything anymore why am I still alive? Not that I am complaining just curious"

"Well we stopped doing anything to you apart from trying to lessen the pain which was not working either but each time you "sneezed" you were coming back to us just as quickly as if nothing happened. The chirurgical wing is a precaution, just in case, and because patients here are sedated and you keep screaming in pain waking other patients up."

Great he was back on joking maybe he was also done with the horror story.

"Miss Black, I have a few question myself if you don't mind" he said taking a pen out of his pocket.

 _'As long as it's not my name'_ she thought. "I figured."

"Why would your mate be in so much pain?" Darcy was immediately taken aback that was a surprisingly thoughtful question. She thought about it for a while maybe the soldier went back to combat zone, or Clint went back to Clinting his way out of life, but she had never felt them that way and she hadn't heard about any of them in 2 years. Her girl could be in more trouble than usual but her wrist and shoulder would be fixed by now if it was coming from her and she wouldn't feel the pain anyway.

"He is a soldier" she told him thinking that it was the most plausible explanation.

"If you give me his name I can look for him. We can send a rescue mission." Military hospital she remembered suddenly.

"I don't know his name" she admitted and immediately regretted it, the doctor's head whiplashed toward her so quickly it even hurt her. She forgot bonded people were supposed to have met at least once. She had to think about something quickly. "We meet in NY during fleet week, I didn't gave him my name either but he knows where I live, we just thought it was better that way because we only met once and the bond wouldn't be enough for me to know if he was never coming back" She sighed loudly. She needed to thank her roommate for that one and hope the man will buy it.

"Not that big of a bond? It doesn't look like that to me?" he said clearly disappointed in her.

"I am 18, he was going to a war zone. Do you know how many of them just fake bonds to get into a woman's bed during fleet week?" some had tried with her and she happily complied with one of them but even if she had known his name it wouldn't help at all "When or if he comes back he'll know where to find me." she finished and she was so done with that talk.

"You said you had questions plural. Were they all related to him?" she asked clearly annoyed, and she was even though it was because she felt like she had a new unknown suffering bond to bear with while he thought it was because he was thinking she didn't care which was fine with her.

"How did you know?" he asked with a glare that made her freeze.

"Not the first time." she said before adding. "Not him. Not talking about it."

He looked at her with a blank stare that made her think she just made the biggest mistake of her life.

"I can help finding him anyway if you still want." she said before he could get to the door. Because if it really was Clint or The Soldier or even Girlbond or any one new, she might be annoyed but she was still willing to help.

"How?" he said not looking at her.

"You said my car exploded." She didn't know what happened to Clint exactly but she remember the headache/head injury and the broken ankle. "You should look for someone injured during an explosion, it doesn't have to be a car, could be a bomb, firework for all I know, that, with the constant coding should help." She couldn't turn to show him her back but she made sure he knew she was done talking.

They left her alone for hours after that, she considered asking if she could make a phone call to aunt Shelbey but she was starting to get the feeling that she wasn't about to be allowed to do that. When the next flowers came in she thought about asking to see the man so she could maybe ask him to make the call. After she had asked the flowers stopped coming.

It had been close to a month maybe a little more, and of course no one was looking for her, Max Black told her colleague she was going back home to her sick mother and would probably never come back they had no reason to look for her, and even if people were looking for Darcy Lewis that was not who she was here.

She was dying for real this time, she couldn't breathe, she tried franticly to call the nurses but she was still on restrains -like a nice little 'not a prisoner Miss Black'- and she couldn't get to the button. She wasn't hooked to any machines anymore, hadn't been for almost a week because nothing had happen, she was starting to regret the constant beeping. She looked around her and found the only thing she could do, she kicked the tray that was by her feet as hard has she could even though she had to pull on her shoulder and use her none existing abs but still very broken ribs to do so, the tray fall down and made enough noise to alert one of the nurses.

Once again the 'dying' experience wasn't coming from her and there was nothing they could do about it except put a guard on her door that would make sure to get someone if it ever happen again.

 _'How convenient I have a guard now'_ she thought. But she was glad he had been there when it happened again and again over the next few days, she might not have been good with swimming pools due to her bruised body but she'd learned how to swim when she and her mother had lived in California for about a year she had even tried surfing before feeling like she preferred keeping the sea out of her lungs. She remembered that feeling extremely well so she was not surprise when the doctor told her she was doing something "Dry Drowning". Her breathing pass way were closing just as if she was drowning but there was no water either in her lungs or in her mouth or nose.

She was terrified, alone, her new bond because by now she knew for sure it was a new one, was clearly being torture and she was held prisoner in a military facility no one knowing where she was or even that she was missing. She cried herself to sleep and for everyone to hear since her door was always open now.

After about a week, the drowning stopped, not the guarding her door thing, and they were back to doing tests on her on a daily bases.

A few weeks later, a new doctor started working on her cases and told them that she didn't need the restrains now that her shoulder and wrist were heal she couldn't hurt herself anymore, so they took them off. But as soon as the nice doctor was away they took her stuff from the closet so she couldn't use them.

More military people started to slowly invade the chirurgical floor. She asked one of the younger one why they were so many one night.

"General Ross' orders Madam" he said not even looking at her.

Her new doctor's name was Ross and she seemed well respected by everyone here but she didn't seem to be a general and she hadn't seen anyone doing any kind of military salute to her.

"Am I supposed to call you general?" she asked when they were alone preparing for yet another PET scan one day.

"What do you mean?" she asked nicely.

"I heard the guards talking, saying they were here on General Ross' orders" she said as if it explained everything.

"Doctor Ross, Betty, Not general, not military, trust me if i had a choice I wouldn't be here" she said and Darcy looked surprised and was so far from trusting her she didn't even remembered what it felt like. "My father likes to keep a very close eye on me at all time." she continued.

"Thought they were here for me." Darcy said without thinking and Betty let the IV she was about to put Darcy on fall on the floor.

"Max, why would they be here for you? That's stupid! They don't need to guard the volunteers it would be a waste of resources." she seemed to regain her pink colors that had disappeared just a minute before, disposed of the fallen IV bag and went to retrieve a new one.

"What exactly do you think I volunteered for?" Darcy asked because she certainly didn't remember agreeing to the Guinee pig operation at all in the 73 days and give or take 6 hours since she had been brought here.

"Testing on Bond genetic dynamics on unmarked person." Betty said as if she was asked that every day.

"Okay so you're studying my bond" Darcy nodded, she had resigned herself a long time ago that she would never left this place but at least for once someone was honest with her. "Does that mean they found out who I am bonded to and is he safe?"

Betty dropped the new IV bag. "You're sure you're a doctor? You don't seem to have very steady hands?" Darcy asked a little concerned, what if she ever needed surgery.

Betty crossed the room and looked a little scared under her concerned face. "Max, how did you get here?" she asked.

Darcy was getting fed up with her act, this wasn't funny, they've been keeping her here for something she had no control over and now what: they were trying to see if being polite would be more efficient?

"You know how I got here." Darcy answered annoyed. "I crashed my car. Got a new weird bond, was so out of my mind in pain that I told everyone instead of keeping it to myself as I usually do and now you won't let me go." Darcy started crying, she had swear she wouldn't do it again after that first guarded day but she was so tired, she was kind of starting to hope who ever had her new bond prisoner would be done with him and that it would killed them both.

She hadn't realize she had said that last part out loud until she was on Betty's lap instead of on the scan cot being hugged to death that woman was strong for such a fragile figure.

"I'll get you out of here" Betty almost convinced her for minute before Darcy remembered where she was and started struggling to get out of the hug.

"Playing nice won't work better than anything any of you had tried before," she started talking to the wall as if there was cams in here even though she knew that the scan electromagnet would prevent that. "I didn't bond with my mother so trying to make me feel emotional to get what you want won't work on me."

Betty helped her to her chair and brought her back to her room without saying a word. She didn't come back for 3 days but the number of guards in front of Darcy's door doubled _'just in case I was thinking about going on vacation I suppose'._

She opened her eyes feeling relieved for the first time in almost 3 months, she couldn't understand it why would she be relieved why would 'he' be? She felt the brush of a hand in her hair and started to panic but someone put a small hand on her mouth.

"Shh." Betty was shooting glances at the door and Darcy nodded. "Put this on"

Military uniform, Darcy hissed but put it on anyway.

"In about 5 min the nurses night shift will take a break, the guard at your door is bonded with one of them they like to skip break all together" Darcy made a disgusted face. "No one will see us until we're at the doors. Keep your head down and I'll get you out of here."

5 minutes was a long time to stay silent for.

"Darcy if something goes wrong your life is going to get harder, harsher and I won't have access to you anymore I won't be able to help." Betty told her sadly.

"Bad at pep talk" Darcy said kissing Betty's cheek on impulse. Betty had to stifle a giggle but smiled at Darcy for the first time.

Everything went according to plan, Darcy was a little wobbly she hadn't had a chance to use her legs in a long while but Betty told the guard that it was just a case of diabetes and they left the doctor took the wobbly guard away. Betty put Darcy in the trunk of her car telling her that it was a 5 min ride to the check point and then 10 to 15 min to make sure no one followed them.

"Make it 30, I'll take a nap, I don't mind as long as I get to be out of here" Darcy told her feeling mostly convinced that it would work.

They made it out without any problem and after what felt like only 5 minutes to Darcy but had been closer to an hour according to Betty they were at a gas station out in the desert again.

"I can't stay, there is a tracker in my car I can justify staying for about 10 minutes for gas but that's all." Betty said. "Max you have to get as far away from here as you can." Betty gave her some money. "Don't go back to NY, don't go to Vegas either they know it's were you were going even if they don't know why"

"Why?" Darcy's voice sounded so small.

"My father, it's not the first time he does that, he stole my bond mate away from me I won't let him do the same to you"

"Thank you" she said quickly before Betty disappeared into the night.

Darcy used some of the money to buy the worst burger she ever tasted at the dinner close to the gas station and upped in a Greyhound bus that had just stopped there she didn't have a ticket and didn't even know where the bus was going but her military uniform let her get away with it.

She had called her mother on her wedding day, saying that she was sorry she wasn't going to make it, lying saying that she was offered an interne ship at Pym industries, that it was a once in life time experience, she sounded either very convincing or her mother was just ready to give up after 3 months without any news or any bond to tell her if her daughter was okay, she wasn't sure. They congratulated each other on their new lives and exciting futures and Darcy promised to call more often.

She called her aunt Shelbey too, cried for about an hour before admitting that she had a car accident that she had really meant to be there both for spring break and for her mother's wedding but she had had to spend weeks in the hospital and since it had been nothing major she didn't want to alarm her mother but she couldn't take any more days off from work or she would get fired. Aunt Shelbey understood because aunt Shelbey always understood more than she let on but never asked question.

"I was going to give it to you on spring break but you got a letter from Culver University, for a full scholarship, I assume you didn't send this one to yourself." Aunt Shelbey joked.

"Yeah I did actually, was thinking about moving there but I didn't want mom to think I was giving up on college." Darcy didn't want them to know where she was going to go next. "But I met someone, I like New York, I think I am going to stay there for a while." she finally said before saying good bye.

After a few days of bus drive and carpooling she ended up right back where she started Culver City, hometown of one Darcy Lewis, she figured without any paper on her she was going to need her birth certificate to get new ones. And according to a few blogs she was thinking that General Ross wasn't really welcomed here as a general rule. No one would look for her here.

"Hi! My name is Darcy Lewis, I would like to see someone from admission, seems like my letter of admission was delayed by the mail service and I wanted to see if I could still apply."

She produced her brand new ID to the nice lady at the information booth in the administration building, waited while she made a few calls and got to meet with the dean of the Human studies department.

In Fall Darcy started classes, as anonymous as she could ever be. She chose to major in Politics because it was the further thing from bonds that she could find. Got a gym membership and a Self-defense classes program to serve as an alibi if any bruises appeared on her body even though she had had none while she was at Ross' facility and tried to live like any other student.


	6. 2 years, 4 months, 12 days, 17 hours and

**2 years, 4 months, 12 days, 17 hours and about 19 min of maybe.**

It took Darcy a week to be sure that her roommate was what would finally drive her to prison, she was still debating on whether it would be from killing her or from joining her on her nightly, strange and smelling activities, but it would end badly for sure.

One more month to learn that if she really wanted to take Self-defense classes she was going to have to find another teacher, don't judge, he was cut and a little older than her, had that 'I spend too much time at the gym in high school kind of personality' and if he chose her one more time to show the class a new move, he was going to end up with either a broken nose or a highly uncomfortable bag of ice chips in his pants, it was totally up to him. She had already stayed 3 times after class to tell him that if his hands were bothering him so much he had to rub them on her maybe he should see a doctor and she was not above helping the process a little, especially since from the looks her classmates were giving her it could get him to move on and make one of the sorority princesses happy. She gave up on the class after deciding on helping his testicular move back into his body and bought herself a Taser like any reasonable 'on the run' girl should do anyway.

She had decided to take a part time job at the university library, it was the easiest way to not actually have to talk to people and she could study all she wanted.

The political science's core program included, English, history, economics and sociology. The dean had explained to her that student of Culver University were expected to widen their experiences and as such she had to get 6 credits in a few required minors.

Second language had been an easy class, the ASL teacher was an easy going old lady who was ready to give a passing grade to anyone who made the effort of learning how to spell their own name by the end of the semester, she had loved Darcy from day 1 and had kept her after some classes to try and correct some of Darcy's hands posture that apparently could have gave her some troubles if she actually had ever met who learning it had been meant for in the first place. The old lady didn't ask why after Darcy told her she had only learned from books never actually saw anyone signing. Darcy signed up for another semester as soon as she was asked if she was interested, she might not have Clint in her life anymore but she was still interested.

Computer and programing classes, were both boring and at an ungodly hours on Monday morning. The amount of nerds getting in and out of the labs at this hour was both alarming and endearing. Obviously the self-defense teacher hadn't been her type, and the Steve Jobs wannabe who was acting patronizing on every brave-enough-to-get-off-their-bed women of this class wasn't going to be either but she liked her lab partner. Darcy only dated Donovan for a couple of months and they had had more downs than ups, especially with him questioning why she hadn't gone home for Christmas or how she had ended up with 2 broken fingers when she went to see him one night. All and all she was starting to think that even though Max had been an easy going girl with one night stands, if she wanted to be Darcy again she was going to have to make better choices in life, well in love/bed life anyhow.

Donovan had at least taught her a few things she hadn't picked up on her own yet and Darcy spent her first Spring Break in her room with her lap top, some vodka, and her two favorite men: Ben & Jerry.

She hacked into every child services data base she could get herself into and gave her mom a clean record. If Aunt Shelbey was a reliable source, the newly married couple was thinking about giving her siblings and she didn't want that to be taken away from her mom out of fear. She called Aunt Shelbey told her what she had done and figured her aunt would find a way to make her mother's fears disappear.

She spend 20 hours, 2 tubes of Ice cream and a considerable amount of what she decided to call Russian coffee trying to hack into Stark Industry, after all with Tony Stark busy being Iron Man it should have been easier; when she found it in herself to give up she hacked into Hammer Industry after all they should also have the information she was looking for and it only took her about 10 minutes to get in which surprised her so much that she spend the next hour hiding out in the co-ed bathroom waiting for some security/government squad to come and arrest her. When no one came she did what she had planned, dug all the data she could find on General Ross (and Hammer's personal servers had a lot) and used their access to the army database to get access to the General, when that didn't work, because apparently Justin Hammer didn't design the army firewall, she just put an alert on him, a little Trojan program that would tell her if Ross was supposed to be anywhere close to her she was tempted to add all the east coast in it but didn't see the point of that.

It only took 5 days for her program to report that General Ross was currently in New York, looking for Max she thought but the news that night surely gave her all kind of other fears.

The Hulk, who was well known at Culver for being Dr Bruce Banner, teacher in Physics and Biology who had an accident after doing some testing for the military, was destroying Harlem fighting some 'thing', Darcy hated being prejudice but there was no other way to describe that thing, the media called the Abomination. She was pretty drunk and over sugared so she had to watch it a few times to understand what she felt like she had missed in all this. When her roommate came back 2 days later, she found Darcy surrounded by Pizza boxes with some curly fries in her hair, still watching and rewinding the footages, there was something important here she just couldn't see it.

"Hey! That's Professor Ross did you know that she and Professor Banner used to be bonded before the accident?" Her roommate asked her taking a piece of pizza from one of the boxes.

"Wait! What? When did you came back?" Darcy looked around her for the first time in what felt and smelled like days.

"Like 2 hours ago. Sorry for the Pizza, I asked but looks like you're totally stoned, you didn't even hear me." _Pot meet kettle_ Darcy wanted to tell her, but if she'd really been here for 2 hours means she already told her everything about Miami and Darcy didn't even noticed her.

"What was that about Ross and Banner?" Darcy asked still a little dazed.

"Give that to me." She handed the remote as asked and waited while the footage was re-winded again. "We saw all of it on a big screen in Miami but I never saw that part." she said taking a sit next to Darcy before standing up quickly and moving to the desk chair. "Darcy, Shower! Seriously what happened here?" She asked looking actually concerned. They might not be friends but they looked after each other when one of them was sick or drunk and Darcy must be some kind of sight.

"Yeah, Yeah I'll get to it, just show me." Darcy said waving a hand at the TV.

"See here, next to the exploding chopper? That's Professor Ross and her father, he is a general, the city was always crawling with cute army guys when she was teaching here" Her roommate was a townie like her but she had spent all of her life in Culver, when Darcy had moved a lot "the man likes to keep an eye on his daughter, talk about a creep..." Darcy tuned her off.

 _'Betty'_ she thought and started crying, on top of everything her roommate had already walked on today, this must have been the worst, Darcy didn't even know if she was crying happy tears to see her savior was still alive and well, fury tears to know that Banner/Hulk must have been who her father had took from her, or fear that she was still at his mercy. When she came back to herself, she was under the very cold shower spray, Sharon Carter, the nice but slightly scary floor supervisor hovering over her. Once Darcy had started to shiver and was able to look Sharon in the eyes, the shower stopped.

"You okay there Lewis?" Sharon asked, she must have come in the shower maybe helping her standing under it for a while because her blond hair were slightly darker and curling like they usually were when Darcy passed her in the door way of the shower, and her clothes were clinging to her body all wet and a little dirty from what Darcy could guess was the junk she was sitting in the middle off a few minutes before. She almost started crying all over again just for messing Sharon's outfit up, she was wearing a cute dress and make up and she looked like she was either going on a date on coming back from one, she shouldn't be dealing with Darcy right now.

Darcy got back on her feet quickly thanked Sharon for whatever she did went back to her room put all of her week of freak out debacle in the trash bag and went out to throw it away, only when she put a foot outside the building was she reminded that she didn't even take time to change or dry herself. When she got back to her room, her roommate was nowhere to be found but Sharon was waiting for her on her bed (which had new clean sheets she sure didn't put on) and a cup of deliciously smelling cocoa on each hand. Darcy looked around for a towel and was about to get out to the showers when she turned around to look at Sharon.

"Will you come with me please." she asked and then thought about it. "No funny business or anything I am not asking you to shower with me I swear I just...»

"Don't want to be left alone" Sharon finished and Darcy nodded. She took the quickest shower of her life even knowing that for some reason Sharon was keeping her safe. She put on her most comfiest PJ and after tonight's events she didn't even care how ridiculous she must look in her Iron man pants and so soft from much wearing but not fitting at all Captain America shirt (Aunt Shelbey had send her some of her stuff once she had finally admitted she was at Culver)

Sharon handed her the still warm hot chocolate mug and waited in silence sipping hers.

"I am not going to tell you" Darcy finally told her.

"I didn't ask." Sharon said turning to face Darcy, putting both her legs under herself, showing that she had no intention of leaving. Darcy was still looking anywhere but at her. "Carly's going to stay in my room tonight if you don't mind the company"

That didn't really sound like a question even if Darcy knew it was totally okay for her to ask Sharon to leave.

"I freaked her out?" Darcy asked instead.

"Maybe a little, but really she offered." Sharon was nice, and Carly was probably already christening her bed with some unknown man and Darcy was feeling really bad about that.

"You know, I don't think I ever told someone here that, but, your shirt reminds me of home." Sharon said smiling. Darcy almost spilled her chocolate trying to figure out why and if Sharon was maybe hitting on her which was flattering Sharon was gorgeous and Darcy was all for it but she would have to have the worst timing ever.

"I really don't know what I am supposed to say to that." which was the most coherent sentence Darcy got out of her mouth in about 10 days since her last call to Shelbey so it had to count as a win; Sharon seemed to think so to because she started smiling again, a real smile not a 'I am smiling because that's what I was taught to do when confronted to crazy people' smile.

"I meant Captain America's shield, my great aunt knew him and she used to talk about him all the time" Sharon's smile disappeared.

"I am sorry" Darcy didn't really know what for but she can do the math people who had work with the Captain where all either dead or really, really old, Sharon's aunt looked to be in the former list.

"Alzheimer, sometimes she remembers him better than she remembers us." Sharon added. So later list than, her aunt was just really old which, was a good thing.

"She must have known him very well if she still remembers him after all this time." Darcy offered, it would have been impolite to ask what she really wanted to know, never ask a lady her age even if you're asking her great niece, seemed to be good manners Darcy didn't know she had. Anyhow Sharon was laughing at her now and she suddenly wonder if she had lost some time in her night again or worst if her brain to mouth filter had made her say all that stuff out loud.

"Sorry," Sharon said putting her empty cup on the bedside table. "I think it's the first time I actually talk about her to someone who doesn't know who she is."

"Family stuff, I get it, I don't like to talk about mine either." Darcy told her hoping to make Sharon understand she didn't have to share because she wouldn't share her story anyway.

"I get it, you know if you don't want to talk to me, maybe you could find a counselor, there are some in the Psychology department." Sharon dropped while taking Darcy's empty cup to put them both on the desk, but she didn't insist both because of Darcy 'not that threatening Death Glare' and because it was coupled with one of her best yawn.

"I'll sleep on the couch, if it's okay with you." Sharon said pointing to the old thing Carly and her had bought at a yard sale on their first week. "I won't pry, won't ask but I have older brothers, a father, cousins, aunt and uncles, all law enforcement or military" Darcy tensed and hoped Sharon didn't noticed it, "I am used to dealing with PTSD by now I'd feel better if you let me stay."

That roused Darcy out of her trance, "I don't have PTSD!" she said on her back foot.

"Than just do it for me." Sharon asked. And okay if it would made her feel better she could stay anyway her bed was probably a war zone by now. When she made Darcy's bed Sharon had found some extra sheets and covers and made herself at home on the couch.

Darcy tossed over in her bed for about an hour before giving up.

"You still awake?" She whispered just in case Sharon was actually sleeping.

"Didn't really plan on falling asleep before you do" Sharon told her honestly which took Darcy a little aback.

"You...What?" maybe Darcy was more sleepy than she thought.

"You heard me. No point in falling asleep until you don't actually need me anymore, I can go to classes on no sleep did it more than a few times, but falling asleep and being woken up all night is actually way harder on the body and the mind." Sharon explained, and somehow it made sense.

"So you were planning on doing what? Counting down the ceiling tiles 'til I felt asleep?" Darcy asked coming over to sit by Sharon, but the couch was really shitty and her body was hurting everywhere she winced and looked at Sharon.

"So still not an offer to jump me here, but my bed is way more comfy than the couch." she lifted an eyebrow and waited for Sharon to stand up leading them to the bed. "You have a favorite side?"

"Mind if we move it a little?" Sharon asked very seriously and well, what else would they do at 2 am anyway. They moved the bed so the both the headboard and one of the side were against her room's walls. When Sharon seemed satisfied she closed the open window and gestured for Darcy to get in the bed.

"You take the wall, I take the door" Darcy obeyed her without asking questions. Once Sharon had slipped under the sheet, Darcy felt safe and protected suddenly. That's when she realized that her feet were now at the window so she would have some time to react if it broke, and Sharon was protecting her if someone came through the door and nothing could go through the walls. She smiled at Sharon and got up rummaging through her handbag before coming back and showing what she had took to Sharon.

"Just in case" she said as a _Thank you, I understand and I trust you_ , handing her new friend her Taser. "Will you tell me a Captain America story?" Darcy asked yawning again. She closed her eyes and remembered Sharon's voice washing over her but she felt asleep quickly and still doesn't remember what the story had been about.

Darcy finished her first year, spending almost all her free time cooked up in Sharon's room, rumors started to go around about the two of them but Darcy didn't care, she knew Sharon was seeing one of her father's colleague and Darcy was a good alibi when he was asking about her, Shelbey had been happy to learn that Darcy had made a friend and both of them left it to that.

She still wasn't comfortable going back to Vegas for the summer but her stepdad had actually been very resourceful on the subject he was dying for his family to meet Darcy and she had been happy to obliged when he said his parents lived in Iowa on a farm, she'd be as free as she'd wanted to be but he told her it was a small town and there wasn't anything really interesting happening there. Darcy and Sharon checked were the nearest military base was among other things and Sharon agreed to come spend the first 2 weeks there with her before she had to move back to Culver to start her classes at the academy.

Summer was easy, her mother was glowing with happiness both at having her around in her new life and with her all new pregnancy that Darcy was supposed to know nothing about yet but that Sharon had spotted on their first day there. No one had been offended that the girls preferred sharing a room even though there was several available. Her Stepfather's family was as nice and welcoming as he had been. For once in her life Darcy actually felt loved and safe and like no one cared about her bond mates. It was perfect.

Before Sharon went back to civilization, they agreed to text and call every day, and Darcy was in charge of finding them a place to share outside the campus because even though Sharon had to live at the academy for the first 3 months, as it was supposed to help create a group dynamic, she would move in with Darcy as soon as that was over and it would be just in time for Darcy to start classes again, how convenient.

In the meantime, Darcy would stay with her family, and even if a little part of her still felt like this was not her life and she was always lying to them, she loved them and felt safe anyway. She played with her cousins (they had insisted on being called that), they were only little girls, but they loved braiding Darcy's hair and she would return the favor every time. She was taking long walks to town, reading in the old rocking chair, all in all it was soothing. And if she had her best friend Sparky under her pillow at night no one needed to know.

She managed to stay at the farm all summer without having any panic attack over fireworks, or her new uncles testing their hunting skills with guns, it was a sound she hadn't heard in years and it made her extremely sad, but not panicky, she didn't call Sharon that day or texted, but it was okay. She went back to Culver, moved in with Sharon and life finally was great for her, she knew it was only temporary, Sharon had told her that she would only stay around for one more year because she wanted to do her training at a special facility in Culver City but that she'd have to move away after that but they had nothing to worry about if the summer had shown them anything it was that Darcy could feel safe without Sharon around and that the both of them could make good use of skype and unlimited phone plans.

With the both of them studying hard and at crazy hours, sometimes it still felt like they were living states away calling the other at weird hours even though they lived under the same roof. One night Sharon said her Great aunt Peggy had asked if they were bonded with the way they acted but Darcy knew what being bonded felt like and it was nothing that happy and loving even though she would never tell that to her friend. Sharon had bond marks on her body, she had 3 on her left wrist, they looked like little black scares, it was her brothers', she explained to Darcy one night, and she didn't ask why she only met 2. Darcy already knew that the two little 'inked like' beauty mark on the base of her skull were Sharon's parents' marks it was a pretty common one, she had a third one on her collarbone, she told Darcy she was pretty sure it was Peggy's because she looked after her a lot when she was little. On her upper right arm she had what could be over seen as a traditional birthmark it was a form almost like abstract art and had a beautiful dark red.

People still got birthmark sometime, brown or red colors, to big on a baby skin to be a bond mark those were usually more discreet on an infant and always black or gray if colors were to appear which scientist still couldn't explain it would only do so later in life. And unfortunately colors didn't seem to mean the same thing for everyone. Her parents marks had been bright red, and it didn't last, but Sharon's parents' mark were also bright red and they had been married for 35 years.

All in all coming back to Culver had been good for Darcy. Her grades were good, she was cumulating so many classes that she would be able to graduate in 3 years instead of 4 which she saw as the best news ever.

She still had a few minors to get units for. Learning a foreign language had been really tricky and Sharon had totally disapprove her method of choosing, little did she know that the 'sending a dart to the map on the wall' had been how her mother and she had lived their life for a long time, the map had just represented a smaller part of the world back then.

"Plus you never know when you'll need to be able to speak" Darcy squinted to read the name of the really small country. "Sokovia, which makes it what, Sokovich? Sokovi? Sokovian?"

According to the linguistic program Darcy will be hooked on for the semester 3 hours a week it was Sokovian. What wouldn't she do for 6 credits honestly? At least she had access to the program on her computer which meant she could work on it at the library while on the job, or if she was discreet enough, she could listen to it on her IPod while studiously looking like she was extremely interested by whatever Lobbyist her political mechanics, or as she liked to called it 'map to hell', class had invited that week.

She had waited or mostly tried to avoid the last of her mandatory 6 credits minor but it was the only one she had left and if she wanted to graduate next spring she'd have to do it over the summer. She was frightened just at the ideas of getting a foot in the science building and the only way to get her 6 credits without dragging them for a year was to apply for an internship over the summer.

She looked them over and applied to 3 of them, all three as far from biology or bond studies as science at Culver could be. Dr Stein was working for the science department on zoology, Dr Irulu was an engineer working on a project for the NASA, she had no experience or knowledge on any of those subjects but she was a quick study and both internship were taking place at Culver so she could stay with Sharon until she had to go to Washington for the rest of her training. She was about to leave the building when she saw a flyer for an internship for Dr Foster, she was an astrophysicist and the internship was in New Mexico. She applied too, anyhow none of them was going to choose a Politic science major to intern for them on big project and maybe showing she made the effort would help her cause when she'd ask to be dispensed of the science credits.

A few weeks later Darcy started feeling sick all the time, she was sleepy, and lacking her usual high energy, nothing really important, she still went to parties when she wanted to, passed her finals with just the margin of error she needed and had learned the pattern to fly under the radar. But she was having trouble doing certain simple things and some of the veins on her chest started to darken. She went to the university free clinic for a checkup and when they found nothing wrong with her, she knew one of _them_ was coming back, she should have used her time looking for ways to close the bonds, cut them off, she shouldn't have been so scared of scientists and tried to at least ask questions to the professors who were teaching here. Some of them use to work and be friend with Betty, maybe she could have found a way to get in touch with her.

She started closing off on herself again, without noticing it, Sharon told her that she could talk to her that they were supposed to trust each other, they started sleeping in the same bed, Darcy safely tucked between Sharon and the wall again but it was just not the same and she couldn't explain it. Some days she felt perfectly fine and they would have fun for hours, watching zombies' movies, shopping.

It's on one of those good days that Darcy got a call from Dr Foster asking when she could be in Puente Antiguo. Darcy was so chocked she didn't answer for a while and Dr Foster must be a saint because she didn't hung up. Sharon took the phone from her hand and talked to Dr Foster for a while.

"She'll be there next week. Thank you for the opportunity and sorry for the..." But she didn't finish apparently Dr Foster had finally hung up.

"So I guess you're going to New Mexico next week" Sharon told her giving her phone back.

"No! They were all supposed to say 'no' so I could stay with you until Washington." Darcy pouted even though she had never revealed her evil plan to Sharon before.

"Listen that's very nice, but obviously there is something here that makes you uncomfortable and I don't want you to spend the summer in our apartment all alone and grumpy. So go, enjoy the sun, Dr Foster sounded like a nice person, and she really seemed to need you she gave me a grocery list asking when you'll be able to bring it" Sharon said wincing.

A week later after heart felt good byes to both Sharon and their place, Darcy was on a plan for New Mexico, than a bus to Roswell, where Dr Foster was supposed to pick her up to drive the 50 more miles to Puente Antiguo, which she apparently forgot because no one was there. Darcy called her 3 times before giving up and decided that it was apparently her destiny to die in the desert, at least Roswell was fun.


	7. Magic is a form of science too

**Magic is a form of science too.**

She had to stay in Roswell for 2 days before Dr Foster called her back saying that she was sorry she hadn't noticed the calls or the date (or the lack of her new intern apparently) but that _Donald_ was coming to get her. Which was not suspicious at all. Darcy told her where she was staying at, a public place seemed to be a safer choice even though she always had Sparky on her.

When 'Donald' came in she let go of Sparky, he wasn't threatening, or at least not her, but a coffee maker might argue with her on that point, Dr Blake as he had insisted on her calling him after her first 'Donald', was in his mid-thirties, wearing a tweed jacket with leather elbow even in the insufferable midday late spring desert heat, and he was very protective of Dr Foster and her research.

"Why did you apply to this internship Miss Lewis?" He started questioning her without even a hello or any excuses for his lateness.

"The flyer had really bright colors it was hard to miss" It was part of the truth but it still was the truth.

"You're not a science Major" he simply stated as if it hold all the question in the world.

"I am fully aware." she could play that game too, she had training with the social services and the militaries.

He looked at her fully unimpressed.

"Look, I get that I might not have been what you were hoping for but you called me in, asked me to drop everything to move in the middle of nowhere for the next 3 months, and I did it because I have a 4 months old little sister that I don't want to be babysitting all summer, but mostly because Culver has this weird idea that Poliscience students need 6 units from the science department to graduate and I don't feel like sitting in a class rooms listening to someone talk about frogs reproductive system ever again, so an internship looked like a good idea." She took a deep breath and gulped her water bottle. "I've been waiting for you for 2 days here, but if I am not what you're looking for I'll gladly be on the next bus to anywhere else it's not like the desert was my first choice anyway".

By the time she had finished her little rampage she noted that he had put her bags in the back of his minivan and was waiting for her to get in. She guessed it was as good of a start as she would get.

50 miles and something like 3 bottles of water later, she had come to some reasonable conclusion that she was crazy.

To begin with her heart was racing so fast it hurt, and she should never have agreed to move far from civilization with her bond in such a weird state. Then there was a question that kept popping in her head since that first night in Roswell Inn, what the hell was she doing back in the desert? She would never be able to sleep ever again if she stayed there for 3 months.

Puente Antiguo was a nice little town, from what she saw of it anyway, Dr Blake, drove straight to a gas station at the end of the main street, he hadn't said a word to her since that weird interview in Roswell. He got out of the mini-van while she was scrambling to get out of the seatbelt, this thing was rusty, she wasn't sure anyone had actually used it in a while. When she finally freed herself it was to see that Dr Donald Black was getting into another car, getting the engine on he drove toward her and stopped when he got beside her.

"Okay she is inside, good luck." And with that he drove away.

Darcy looked between the dusts the driving car had left behind, the minivan with the keys on the ignition and what was in fact a reconverted car dealership/gas station. The see-through windows let her see a petite brunette woman wearing a jean and a plaid shirt that obviously didn't belong to her, it looked like it was eating her. The woman, who must be Dr Foster, was reading data and going back and forth between what was supposed to be a desk, which was currently hiding under hundreds of papers; it looked like it had been a garden table in a previous life, and some weird looking computer.

"Okay time to make a choice." Darcy told herself. To be fair, Dr Foster really did looked like she needed someone, organizing her papers, washing her dishes, maybe brushing her hair once in a while, but the desert and it's dry heat was still haunting her, and she had seen last night in the hotel mirror that her blackening veins were growing all over her body, even an astrophysicist was going to notice them.

"Arghhhh!" she cried out and took a deep breathe before pushing the door the 'lab'. "Dr Foster, I am Darcy Lewis your new intern." She said aloud, but Dr Foster wasn't hearing her.

She waited a little but got no answer and the other woman didn't even look like she had heard her at all. Darcy took a few steps inside and tried again, startling Dr Foster this time.

"Wow, hmm… Yeah Darcy, got it." She looked around her surprised. "Donald?" she asked Darcy.

"Left me in the parking lot." Darcy answered she didn't know what else to say, didn't,'t even know it wasn't normal for him to have done that.

"Figured." She turned around and went back to her data.

Darcy was surprised but at the same time she felt compelled to stay and help, she remembered Sharon talking about a grocery shopping list and decided that until Dr Foster got out of her science frenzy she could at least be helpful. She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, it was not entirely empty but she highly doubt the tiny scientist could eat any of the things it contained, batteries, a few Chinese take-out boxes that were starting to grow some form of life inside them, and some bread that should not be green, finally she found milk that was still good to drink according both to the used-by-date and the lack of smell when she opened the bottle. On the cabinets, she found coffee, cereals, some canned chili and 2 boxes of pasta. Darcy sighed, took stock of the water fountain situation and started a list. It took her half an hour, and the scientist still hadn't noticed her. Darcy put some cereals and milk in a seemingly clean looking bowl and brought it to her putting it in the middle of the desk sure that it was at least going to get noticed, and went on a groceries hunt in town.

Darcy came back 2 hours later, with everything she could have thought of, and started cooking diner. She wasn't a great cook but she at least knew how to make pasta with an industrial tomato sauce, she just added some ground beef to it, the doc looked like she could use the proteins. It didn't really need her to keep an eye on it so she took the time to do the dishes too. The smell of freshly cooked food finally seemed to get the tiny scientist out of her own mind.

"That smells nice." Dr Foster told her. "Who are you?" she asked looking baffled but still taking the plate Darcy was offering her.

"It's alive!" Darcy shouted when Dr Foster entered the kitchen. "Sorry I was starting to wonder if you were a robot or something" Darcy gave her a plate and sat herself at the newly cleaned kitchen table which seemed to surprise the Doc even more than her presence.

"Oh and I am Darcy," at the strange look the scientist sent her, Darcy added "Darcy Lewis the interne you called to stay and help you for the next 3 month, I am from Culver."

"Yeah, yeah" the other woman answered around a mouth full of pasta. "The Political science student, I remember now. That's good I didn't know we had that around."

"You didn't I cooked it." Considering the woman surprised look Darcy continued "Been here half the day I had to do something."

"So the cleaning?" Dr Foster asked.

"Who did you think it was? Dr Blake didn't look like the cleaning fairy type." She mused.

"Donald." Dr Foster interrupted her.

"Yeah I don't know where he went but I made an extra plate for him." Darcy said gulping some water.

"No, I mean... It's Donald not Dr Blake"

"That's what he asked me to call him, and I get it Dr Foster I am just the interne you two are the teachers here."

"No! Not us two, just me. And it's Jane by the way. Donald isn't... he is an MD from Roswell not a teacher, I just needed someone to come get you." Jane told her.

"Okay well he didn't look like he appreciated me all that much. Hope that'll be okay." Darcy asked, hoping she won't have to go back to Culver right away ' _and where was that feeling coming from?'_

"Not coming back, he just needed to come get his car back so it was convenient" Jane told her eating the last bite of her plate. Obviously there was a story there but it was Darcy's motto to 'not pry when you don't want people to return the favor' so she just smiled stood up to get to the stove and got back with a full plate of pasta.

"In that case. You want to share?" She gave the plate to Jane who was nodding enthusiastically.

"Want to tell me what you need me to do Dr Forster?" Darcy felt suddenly uncomfortable, her stuff were still in the van and she really wasn't sure of what she was doing here. "Why did you ask me to come? I have no knowledge or experience in science." ' _Except as a lab rat'_ was the part she kept for herself.

"Jane, please! And you were the only applicant." Jane explained.

"I feel loved already" Darcy answered smiling and Jane started to laugh.

"Look you need the internship and I need someone to type the data, to organize a little, to write my notes in something actual human being can read, to make the coffee when I am too busy..." she looked down at her plate. "And if you don't mind, not that I am a bad cook but sometimes I just forget things like meals or that they actually need to be prepped that it can always be instant stuff."

"Yeah no problem I love cooking, but I am not that helpless." Darcy argued "Okay I am not an astrophysicist, but I can learn some stuff you'll need help with. Like how to tape your equipment." Darcy pointed out the piece of equipment lying next to the counter in the kitchen and almost entirely covered in tapes. "Was it sick? Did it need patching?" she joked.

"Oh" Jane blushed, "I kind of build all of them by myself and sometimes tape is better than starting over," she started looking at the equipment "a lot of time actually."

"So no touching the equipment" Darcy submitted "Got it boss!"

"Not until I show you no! But yeah you're right I am sure you can be more useful than typing all my mess and making coffee." Jane sighed putting her head on the table.

"Mind giving me a tour? I kind of stuck to the kitchen after Douchebag left me in the street, I didn't know what else to do. Darcy thought that maybe the 'douchebag' comment had been too much but when Jane stood up she was smiling. _'Points Darcy'_

Jane led her to the plain space that was taking 2/3 of the place.

"So that's the study, lab whatever I do everything here, there is my desk" She pointed out the previously noticed table. "The equipment are either here or in the van." she suddenly turned back to Darcy "Wait Donald did brought back the van right?" Darcy nodded not willing to explain that all her stuff were still in it. "Great! So the door on the left is the bathroom, It's pretty simple, just toilets, a sink and a shower" Jane continued and it was okay Darcy could check it out later hoping it would be cleaner than the kitchen was. "Your room is in the door marked Office, it's tiny but you have a bed and a closet if you need more space we can manage to put something together in the open space if you don't mind." Darcy kept smiling at her, she didn't mind the simple room at all and she only brought the essential to dress, bath and stuff to make the place she would sleep in a little more 'her' she didn't care about it being fancy or not. "I have a small trailer outside were I sleep and I take some of my readings there sometimes when I can't sleep, you're always welcome to come in." She continued a few minutes in silence before turning abruptly toward Darcy, "You know just maybe knock once then come in, but sometimes I won't even notice people around so don't wait for me to answer"

"I didn't notice that at all" Darcy joked and she released a deep breathe when it made Jane laugh. Things were going to be good.

So Jane was studying Aurora Borealis, Darcy had googled it on the first night and didn't get how Jane had gotten subventions to study Aurora Borealis this south of the north pole but whatever. She kept calling Sharon, even though she more often than not ended up just living a voice mail, but it was okay, Darcy had crazy hours too and had had to let a few calls go to voice mail too.

Jane was crazy, but the good kind of crazy, she was passionate about her work and could spend hours looking at data without moving before finally yelling that they needed to take the van and go star gazing in the middle of the desert. Darcy had created a special system to sort Jane's researches, had forced Jane to take a few hours off sciencing every 3 to 4 days to make crazy stuff like shower or sleep happen, or just to get the scientist brain to shut down for a few hours.

After a month they started doing Girls night, over at the only bar the town had, she had learned that for such a petite woman Jane could drink an impressive amount of alcohol, that even though she was from Culver too her mother had remarried quickly after her dad's death and they all relocated to London. She learned the true story behind Donald and assured Jane that the man had been really worried for her and her research when they met, which led to their firs night on the roof where Jane proceeded to fall asleep on more garden furniture after Darcy had had to keep her from drunk calling Donald.

That same week, after a couple of data came making absolutely no sense to Jane, they were joined by Dr Erik Selvig, he had been Jane's teacher and was her mentor. They spend to next week going out to take more weird data, which Darcy kept putting into the log dutifully. When both scientist started to talk about nightly trips to the desert, Darcy wanted to protest, up until now only Jane had gone to the desert, and night collecting data's had been simply spend on the roof. But her dark veins had been receding, just a little she still felt sick but more energized and less scared at the moment. Of course both doctors had seen the black veins but they said nothing about it. And even though Jane and Darcy had spoken about a lot of personal stuff the 'bond marks' subject was never spoken of and she wasn't going to be the one bringing it to the table.

"So we're really going to go in the desert every night this week?" Darcy asked thinking that a distracted Jane might tell her to stay to the lab, she had a better chance at that happening than at Erik taking her seriously in the next century. He was a nice man, just as distracted as Jane when they were on to something scientific but he constantly made comments asking why she didn't understood the importance of this or that. He never did it intentionally and always apologized afterward but it wasn't less awkward. She got it really, especially if they were about to find something crucial, she wouldn't have chosen herself either, but she was here to stay as Jane as often answered him defending her.

"Darcy! Get the equipment in the van!" Jane snapped at her before turning around looking apologetic "Sorry! But we're on to something I can feel it, please, just 2 more nights" and who could say no to Jane's pleading eyes.

"Yeah okay but 2 more days!" Darcy knew when to stop pleading a lost cause. "We're lacking on our girl's night out schedule."

"2 more days, then tequila" Jane answered giggling with Darcy.

"We're ready to go" Erik called out from the van. As always Darcy took the wheels while the two scientists where trying to find the spot with the best readings in the mini lab on the back of the van.

"I am telling you Jane we should have gone south, not north of our last position, it would make more sense that way." Erik argued.

"And I am telling you, the last data said we should be just here." Jane opened the window roof to poke her head outside and let the manometer calibrate itself. Yes, Darcy had learned what the 10% tape equipment piece was with a little prodding. "It's never taken this long before."

Last time Jane had said that 'this long' took 2 hours to turn into 'let's get back to the lab', Erik was a patient man, he had work with Jane's father and felt a need to protect her more than her work which Darcy found endearing.

"Can I turn on the radio?" It was a legitimate question but the death glare they both send her made her retrieve her fingers from the car radio.

"Sure if you like rocking out to KFRM 'all agriculture all the time'" Jane told her with an edge to her voice that clearly said, 'I will leave you here to die' and Darcy put both hands in the air surrendering.

The two scientists went back to their argument overlooking the data in their laptops, equipment, and comparing them to what Jane had thought would happen tonight and noted in her notebook.

Darcy started looking at the stars through the windshield, it was a part of being in the desert she hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing last time, but far from the city's lights the stars were bright and there were just so many of them, Darcy always lost a few minutes a night just stargazing.

"Jane?" something was weird, she had been here the first time one of Jane's unicorn-like Aurora Borealis showed up and it didn't look like that. It had been beautiful ribbons of colors in the sky, this looked like a very big Bat-signal. The measure equipment in the back started blipping.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with equipment..." The van was shaken by something

"Jane!" But Jane didn't even turned to look at her "What?" she shouted "I think you want to see that" Darcy turned the attention of the scientists to the weird bat-signal.

Jane asked Darcy to get them closer to the phenomenon, while she was still looking and analyzing data.

"Isn't this great?" Darcy had never seen Jane more exited. "You're seeing it too, right? I am not crazy?" Darcy barely refrained from rolling her eyes, she had been the one to point it out so at least that made one more person seeing 'it'.

"That's debatable, put your seatbelt on!" Erik was shouting to cover the frantic blipping and maybe get sure he got through to Jane's brain ' _good luck'._

The 'it' had now touch the ground and Darcy was about to stop the van from getting anywhere closer than that when Jane turned the wheels to get them even closer.

"I am not dying for 6 credits" Darcy tried to get the control of the van back but Jane was deceivingly strong for such a petite woman.

The phenomenon stopped suddenly and the van bumped into a man before stopping a few feet away.

"Oh my god!" Darcy couldn't hear anyone around her, her blood was pumping too hard into her ears. "I think that was legally your fault" she told Jane who was running out of the car.

"Get the first aid kit" Jane yelled back and Darcy took the little box that was more bandages and antiseptic than anything that could actually be useful in a car crash but whatever. She got closer to the man to hand Jane the kit.

"Wow." That tall blond guy was totally covered in dust but he was still showing some muscle and... "Does he need CPR? Because I know CPR" It was the only useful thing her self-defense teacher had ever taught to her.

Once tall blond and not dead regained consciousness Erik and Jane started talking about the storm but Darcy couldn't get her eyes away from the man, there was something about him, she couldn't explain it but she wanted both to run away as far as she could and to let him hug her really hard.

"Hammer" the man shouted. _'Yep totally run away then'_

"Yeah we can tell you're hammered" Darcy deflected his presence was making her uncomfortable "That's pretty obvious"

Jane noticed something on the ground and went back to sciencing with Erik even if Darcy had clearly heard the word hospital once or twice. The man was moving around shouting things to the sky. Darcy vaguely heard Jane saying that Erik and she should go to the hospital with the man but Darcy liked the idea of staying in the desert in the middle of the night better. When the man shoved Erik, who was trying to help, away violently Darcy reach into her bag for Sparky.

"What realm? Alfheim? Nornheim?" the man asked as if it was supposed to make any sense to them.

"Uh... New Mexico?" Darcy answered him showing her Taser and pointing it in his direction.

"You dare threaten Thor with so puny ..." The man started walking toward Darcy and she panicked shooting him.

After a quick trip to the ER were they left 'Thor', she brought her scientists back to the lab where they proceed to analyze every bits of data they got over last night's events. Her vision board was actually useful and they went back to talk to Thor since the data made it look like the man was coming from inside the storm instead of having been caught in it.

Against every other passenger's opinion, and after bumping him with the van once again, Jane brought Thor back to the lab with them.

"You know for a crazy homeless guy, he's pretty cut" Darcy called out to Jane, Thor had been changing in the bathroom and hadn't closed the door and that was an invitation to look at the man she was not about to pass on. Plus something about him was still unnerving her and she needed to find out what it was. "I am sorry I tased you" He had no apparent Bond marks and she had all the luxury to look for that from where she was, even though she still felt like she needed to get closer, like he would protect her. And she found that both offensive and totally crazy, so she stayed on her chair while he explained where he thought he was coming from.

Thor complained about being hungry and proceed to devour an entire box of Pop-Tart and still was hungry the little group went to the town diner, where Thor gave them more details on his story. At least the man had a healthy imagination. Darcy had put her chair backward and was sitting facing Thor but her front to the back of the chair, she was as far from him as she could be without being asked what she was doing. After Thor had broken his mug startling her, she decided to be pro-active about the situation, took out her phone to take a picture of him.

"This one is totally going on Facebook" she told them while Jane was getting more coffee for the man. She sent the picture to Sharon discreetly, maybe her friend would have access to a missing person data base or at least her father would.

After hearing two townies talk about a crash site in the desert, both Jane and Thor wanted to go see it, Darcy was torn, she felt like something was obviously missing but Erik was right the townies had told them that government agents had taken the crash site over and Darcy was not a fan of Governmental agencies. And whatever "Myeu-muh" was it was not worse spending time restrained ever again even if she would still follow Jane there if the woman was going, Jane was her friend and Sparky could still be useful if an agent tried to take her.

Jane had said her goodbyes to Thor, and the three of them went back to the lab to find suited agents swiping it of every piece of data and equipment. Darcy tried to be as discreet as she could be while following a yelling Jane in the middle of the wreckage.

"Ms. Foster," Darcy wanted to tell the suited man that it was DR not MS but it didn't seem that important right now. "I am agent Coulson," Darcy had automatically put her arms around Jane to keep her away from the man when she heard is name "with SHIELD."

Agent Coulson, had shot Clint with no reason, who knew what he could do to Jane if she started insulting him. The agent was smiling at them while his men were stealing every little piece of their life, they even took her IPod. Darcy felt a sudden outburst of anger toward the man, she felt nauseous, and waited for him to get into the car to take Jane back inside. She needed to know Jane and Erik would be safe inside but she also needed a minute alone. She had just enough time to close the bathroom door before the nausea overwhelmed her and a flow of images came through her mind stealing her legs from under her.

There were too many images, it was all too quick, like her brain had been storing them and were suddenly releasing them to her, like a broken dam overflowing the towns below in a few minutes when it took month for it to be full.

She saw the SHIELD emblem a bunch of times, a black man with an eye patch, an old lady that made her thought about Sharon briefly, an agent with sandy blond hair smiling as he put his feet on a desk, the brilliant-red haired woman next to him pushing them out of the way, the military base she was at with Betty talking on the phone, Captain America, Tony Stark, another red hair she knew to be Pepper Potts everybody knew her.

Her chest was hurting her, her heart beating so hard, she pushed herself back up, thinking about going to ask Jane and Erik for help and realizing that someone was knocking on the door loudly, she was going to have some explaining to do. She was not comfortable with that, she closed her eyes just a few moments taking deep breathes, when she opened her eyes again she could have sworn everything around her was blue but it quickly faded away anyhow it was probably due to her crazy brain again.

"I am okay, I'll be out in a minute." Darcy told to whoever was tambouring at the poor bathroom door by now.

"I can do this." she told herself, took her shirt off and got the water running while she grabbed a washcloth she was sweating and that would at least calm her a little. She had to do a double check when she watched herself in the mirror. Her black veins they had disappeared, every single one of them was gone. She started hyperventilating and sat back down forgetting the door until she felt small arms curled around her and a soothing voice whispering in her ear.

"It's okay Darcy, everything is okay, they are gone, it's safe here." Jane was repeating it over and over and over. She only stopped once Darcy started moving again, looking shy and like she wanted to crawl into the hole she knew was behind the shower wall.

When Darcy regained full conciseness she was sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cocoa in her hand and one of Donald's old plaid shirt covering her.

"I am sorry." she whispered not even sure who was fussing around her.

"What the hell happened?" Jane cried out as if she had been waiting for hours to do it, which she probably had.

"Did they take everything?" Darcy asked, not even trying to deflect.

"Yes and I don't care right now." Jane was about to say something else but Darcy snapped "Well I care, it's all your work, all your life, they can't just take it" she yelled at Jane perfectly aware that it was totally unreasonable and that she wasn't only talking about Jane when she said it.

"Darcy!" Erik called from her other side.

"Need to get outside!" Darcy said and went for the roof followed closely by Erik and Jane.

She took a seat in her usual spot by the side of the roof overlooking the town and they flanked her, they were not scared she would jump because the worst she could get from this high was a broken ankle, they just wanted to be with her, showing her that their friendship worked both ways.

"Can we not talk about it? If you guys promise to wait I'll tell you everything." She looked at them and saw that they both wanted to object. "At least my veins are all normal again. I know you saw the mark before can we leave it to that for now?"

Reluctantly Jane and Erik agreed.

"So SHIELD?" Darcy asked, changing the subject with zero subtlety.

They talked about the agents who stole their research and about someone Erik knew from Culver and Darcy was pretty sure was Dr Banner. Darcy complained about her IPod, and for a few moments everything was back to normal. Erik wanted to email a friend about SHIELD and to do so he needed to go to the town library, Jane needed to make some phone calls and decided that she should go with him. They both tried to coax Darcy into coming with them but she promised that she was fine and she had some stuff to do too like sweeping the floor now that the place was empty, and SHIELD didn't take their dirty dishes. Both of them knew she was just trying to shoo them away but they let it go.

Darcy went to her room first, but just like the rest of the place it had been thoroughly ransacked, at least they left some unused notebook and good old pens she could use. She went back to the kitchen feeling safer somehow in the glassed room. She could see someone coming from all over seating there.

She started making a list of everything she had seen, she would rather do that than think about why right now.

Captain America: it had been collectibles, memorabilia, and the shield

She was used to seeing him appearing in her head from the soldier but it had been a very long while since she got anything from him.

Pepper Potts and Tony Stark: well she wasn't a genius but even she could do the math once Betty had helped her out. Tony Stark disappeared the same day she did after his Humvee was attacked and shrapnel exploded, and he was found the day Betty found out about her situation and brought back to the USA on the same day she got out. The press might not have known for sure about what happened in Afghanistan but she didn't need the details to know that she was bonded to "Tony -Freaking- Stark".

But after the soldier and Clint, Darcy wasn't interested in trying to share stuff through her bonds ever again. From him, she had the normal He/She is still alive and sometime sick or sad or happy feeling that everyone shared to some level with the people they bonded with but none of her own kind of weirdness and that was okay with her.

Plus what was she supposed to say 'Hi Mister Stark I think I bonded with you by accident do you want to meet up?' she had no proof. Of course the only one of them she could find would be Tony Stark her life would be too easy otherwise.

The soldier though seemed to know him and even be worried about him, but he was almost always worried about something.

She didn't know who were the blond man and the red head from the other picture, she could just feel that they were very important and not only because they appeared quite a lot in her mental flash.

Neither did she ever remember meeting that old woman, but she made her feel warm just by closing her eyes and calling the picture back to her; which she couldn't really do if she was going to keep watch.

Now the military place she knew but something with wrong with the way it looked. Betty was on the phone and they were guards everywhere around her office, militaries and SHIELD agents both pointing guns at one another, and she couldn't hear it but she had spent enough time there to know that the alarm system was coupled to bright red spots that were flashing across Betty's face in the picture.

What the hell happened there? Whatever it was, it didn't happen while she was there or she would have known, or before that because there were not that many soldiers before she got there it was just an hospital were wounded soldiers came to be closer to their families or do therapies she checked it out while she was on Hammer's servers.

If Darcy was honest with herself she knew what was going on, she knew the pictures were coming from the Soldier, she had kept him away for so long that it had just rushed in her head when... when she met him. She had read enough books on the subject when she was still hopeful about 'them' to know that meeting your bond mate for the first time was like releasing a dam of feelings and emotions, her version was just worst and painful.

At least it explained the constant SHIELD's picture in the flash, and why Agent Coulson was send to get Clint. The soldier was working for them.

When Erik came back it was already dark outside and his hands were full of Norway legends books.

"Really? Thought you didn't believe him?" Darcy asked amused and smiling for the first time in hours.

"Where is Jane? I have a theory" Erik asked her.

"What do you mean where is Jane? I thought she was with you." Darcy walked toward him angry. How could he have lost Jane with SHIELD here?

"I thought she got tired of waiting and came back to look after you." Erik answered.

"I don't need to be looked after" she snapped and they looked at each other for a few minutes angry at one another. Erik's phone shimmed in and broke their staring contest.

"it's Jane" he relayed "says she did what I told her not to" he frowned "and to worry if she didn't call back in an hour." he looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. "She left the voice mail 20 minutes ago."

Darcy sighed and sank into one of the kitchen chair. "What does she mean she did what I told her not to do?" Erik looked at his phone like it was going to explain Jane to him.

"Are you for real?" Darcy asked but Erik looked at her like he really had no idea what she was talking about. "She's with Thor, probably went to the satellite site"

Erik sank in the chair next to hers and they both sat in silence fixing his phone waiting for Jane to call.

"Where is your phone? You're usually the one she calls." Erik asked still looking at his devise.

"SHIELD took it." Darcy said as if it was obvious.

"But they didn't took ours." he stated but it still sounded like a question.

"I was filming their stealing act." Erik felt silent again and they both went back to fixing the phone.

Jane called at the 59 minutes mark, and appeared hours later catching Darcy and Erik in their one and only 'no fighting' act, planning on how to get Jane back from SHIELD.

"Will it work for Thor?" she asked and they both looked up and ran to hug her.

"Thanks but seriously, will it work for Thor? They arrested him." Jane insisted.

"And you want us to get him back? He only cost us troubles, it's his fault SHIELD stole our researches." Erik stated.

"Uh... Yes?" Jane tried to sound convinced but failed.

"Okay." both Darcy and Erik answered at the same time, to everyone surprise.

Erik explained his change of heart and his theory about the demi-god and how the Bifrost could actually be an Einstein-Rosen bridge how what he found at the library or on computer could totally be explained by the data from that night. But that it was crazy, totally crazy, and he didn't believed it for a second. Darcy looked at the books and listened to Jane and Erik argued over magic being a form of Science.

"Oh Mjolnir." Darcy called out and was totally ignored but she was used to it when those two were arguing about science.

"Back to the plan it could still work for Thor, but Jane and I are staying here" They were both paying attention to her now. "I can't go there, whoever I ... What happened yesterday someone will know. And Jane could have been caught on video or they could decide to keep her." Erik was about to argue but she wasn't done. "You said you wrote an email to a friend who worked with them before if they decide to keep you there he could help, isn't that what you said about Jane before she came back?"

Erik nodded and they went to work.

Darcy was thankful that even with the dirty looks none of them asked where she learned to hack the DMV database, they had more important things to do. She created a new driving license for Donald the Douchbag using the picture of Thor she put on her Facebook page. It was far from perfect even far from her best 'I need to go clubbing' New York job but hopefully it will do.

Erik took the car and left.

"I need a drink" Darcy told Jane before dragging her to the town bar. "We are not going to talk about any of this just going to drink until Erik text to say that they are okay" she said once they slid in a booth "Deal?"

Jane eyed her nervously but agreed anyway. "Deal"

Darcy could see the SHIELD agents who took deliberate spots by the exits on both sides and by the bar, and she was pretty sure she saw someone on the roof of the drugstore on the way. She never felt less safe in her life. She ordered 2 vodkas drink her first shot and glare at the man who was approaching her, honestly she was saving him, she already saw at least one of the agent moving toward them, and she brought the other glass to Jane.

"Thought we were here to drink" Jane nodded toward her empty glass.

"It's not a race, I don't feel like being hangover tomorrow." the truth was that she hadn't eaten a thing since her bathroom incident and the hot cocoa, and she was already feeling the single shot she took.

"This was a bad idea." she said left some money on the table and pushed Jane toward the nearest exit. Once they were both outside she felt like if she had been deprived of oxygen while they were inside and took in a deep breathe.

"Okay Darcy, you haven't slept in 3 days, time for a nap." Jane told her.

"You didn't sleep either." Darcy snapped, she hated being babied and she knew what Jane was going to say next.

"But I didn't..." Jane thought better about it certainly, because she stopped there. "How about we both go to bed, we have at least 2 hours left before we need to worry about Erik?"

Darcy would have argued but she was suddenly feeling really sleepy.

Roughly 2 hours later she woke up to the sound of her phone, pinging from a text

 _I have Thor we're stopping for a drink_

Somewhere her body was rebelling against her standing up and walking but she needed to go to the bathroom and she was suddenly very hungry.

She used the light from her phone to guide herself because the full light of the lab would give the agents that were no doubt still watching them a full view of her underwear, she would get dressed after a quick shower, she hadn't done that either in 3 days she could smell herself.

She didn't know what happened at the crash site but where she had felt anxiousness and curiosity the night before she could only feel amusement and curiosity coming from the soldier now and it didn't felt that bad.

She took a long shower, brushed her teeth and her hair, put on some clothes so she wouldn't flash any agent and got out of the bathroom turning only the kitchen lights on. Since she had arrived a month and a half before the fridge had always been full of food so she had everything she needed to make herself a Sandwich. She ate while reading lazily the books on Thor, Erik had left on the kitchen table, Lady SIf looked cool, and Thor had a little brother that was cute. She turned off the lights and went back toward her room. She had been tossing back for a while because her bond mate was feeling all excited about something. She stood up and went to the nearest exit and shouted in the wind.

"No one should be excited about anything not sex related at 2 am freak!" she started to laugh sure she must look great shouting nonsense to the desert in her PJs at 2 am. She hoped the SHIELD's agents were all on the other side of the building.

"I totally agree." she heard just behind her. She jumped away cursing herself for letting Sparky under her pillow and keeping a hand on her heart to try to calm it.

"Do you have to shout it?" She asked not even looking at the man who she was sure was an agent.

"I am not shouting." He said again way too loud he didn't need to wake Jane up.

She put her hands over her ears without realizing it. She could hear Thor somewhere talking to Jane, and Erik snoring which meant he was drunk.

"Darcy! Look at me" the man shouted again taking her hands away. "It's okay just breath and focus on me."

She looked at him then. It was the sandy blond agent from the vision. She didn't remember seeing him earlier and anyway, there wasn't a mirror he couldn't be the soldier that just didn't make any sense. He put away her hands slowly and she realized they hadn't muffled the sounds at all.

"Come on girl. You need to breath." He was repeating it has if she wasn't breathing but when he put her hand on his plexus and asked her to take a deep breathe in she realized he was right.

Her ears hurt so much that tears started to run down her cheeks, all the sounds started to blend in a cacophony. She saw the agent radio to someone but she couldn't focus on what he was saying. He left his radio outside showed her that his phone was on mute and guided her inside.

It was less noisy inside. There was no wind trying to pierce her eardrum, or Thor and Jane talking.

"It hurts" she tried again.

"Yeah I know." he told her but this time even if she still heard it has a shout she could see on his expression that he was trying to whisper. "Your room?" he asked.

"Diner?" she retorted joking and he restrained himself from laughing and she was thankful for it.

"It doesn't have windows to the street" he told her and she nodded pointing her room quickly.

Once inside the Agent pulled off his shoes and hers, put her clock outside the room and turned her newly acquired phone on mute before turning to her again, he putted a finger on her lips silencing her and started moving his hand quickly. It took a minute for her brain to get back with the program.

She looked at him and signed for him to do it again.

 _Is that better?_

 _Yeah thanks._

He stayed his back on her door fixing the wall above her head. She looked him over before understanding what had just happened, she let him settle for a minute before she found one of her plush and send it to him hitting him on the head. She regretted it when he yelped in surprise.

 _Hi!_ She signed pointing the end of her bed. _What's going on with my ears?_

 _I have a guess_

 _Go on_

 _Felt like that when they put the implants in. Sounds were overwhelming. Too much at once._

"Oh!" she said out loud sounding less like a shout but still way too loud.

 _Should feel better in a few hours._ He stood up quickly taking the doorknob in hand prepared to leave, so she hit him with another plush.

 _Stay here and behave I am almost out of soft things_

He brought them both back to her but didn't sat back.

"Clint! Seat down!" she said even though it was hurting her she wasn't above playing the poor hurt girl if it worked.

 _Why?_

She stared at him wide eyes.

 _To talk_

 _Thought you didn't want to talk._

Darcy put a hand under her bed and took the notebook and the pen she had used for her list the day before.

My ASL must be rusty, thought you said 'I' didn't want to talk.

 _I did._

 _Why?_

 _Haven't talk to me in 6 years Darcy why would you want to now?_

Slower please

He signed the exact same sentence twice before he got to a rhythm she could follow. When she finally got it she got angry looking for something to throw at him, but sighed when she saw that he was nervously playing with her Bucky Bear.

 _I got you shot._ He was about to interrupt her but she took his hand and said "no"

 _I got you shot, and you were not talking to me anymore, I get it really you had no reasons to trust me to begin with but it hurt and I was a teenager and I had stuff happening at home and you wouldn't speak to me..._

She started making no sense at all with her signing and her hands were too shaky to write. She cleared her throat the sound was still too loud but more like the inside of a theater movie not like the interior of a flying plane reactor so she was going to go with that.

"You trusted me and I send SHIELD to you without knowing, and then agent crazy Coulson shot you" she stopped both to shut him up again and to get the ringing in her ears under control. "I heard the hospital, the Triskelion, the interrogation some agents tried while you were still under pain medication and Coulson who was coming again and again only asking how your leg was…Crazy..." She took another pause but now Clint was the one watching her with wide eyes.

"You were not talking to them, not even to the doctors which I get, but you were not talking to me either and I get it you were mad at me really I would have done the same. And then the other one she got more bruises and people noticed again and I was just a teenager I needed to talk to one of you but you and the soldier you both locked me out" She paused. "I realized yesterday that he must be a SHIELD agent too because he was here even though there were so many agents here I wouldn't be able to say which one was the Soldier."

"Whatever," she said when Clint started fidgeting the sound from his pants shafting against her sheets almost too loud. "About 2 weeks after Agent crazy IPod thief saved you, you locked me out completely both of you, I woke up one morning and I couldn't hear the noises around you anymore, took me 10 minutes of total panic to realize that you were not dead since I could still feel you, you just chose to cut me off, and the Soldier, it was not the first time he'd done it." She realized that she had been looking at her hand the all-time and looked back at Clint.


	8. a long journey back to you

**A long journey back to you.**

Clint was rubbing the back of his ears like it hurt him, and was hyperventilating, so she took his hands in hers and made him calm down.

"I didn't cut you off, Darcy, I didn't..." He said on repeat trying to get his hands back without hurting her. "I..." He stopped talking, stopped moving and just looked at her for a while.

"SHIELD offered me implants for my ears, they put them in 2 weeks after I got in." he didn't say a word after that and just looked at her, silent.

"Oh!" She said not actually understanding. She had figured out a while back that something both emotionally intense and violent needed to happen to her bond mate for the weird stuff to start happening, the soldier had been hurt while losing all his men, the little girl had broken her ankle and from what she understood only later in life had been punished for it, she still didn't know what happened to Clint but he wasn't born with his hearing problems, and Tony, well he might play it like that to the journalists but she knew first hand that Afghanistan was no Club-Med. But could curing them actually broke the weirdness of the bond? The woman's injuries were always cured and sometimes she didn't have any for a long period of time now, but they always came back. Maybe Clint could just hear around himself on his own.

"You didn't need me anymore. I guess" It wasn't making her feel better about the all thing at all. "I want to sleep" She really didn't but she didn't want to keep talking either.

"Yeah okay." Clint was moving of her bed when she took his wrist in her hand.

"Told you to behave. Don't want to send another bear at you." She rolled over in her bed to make a little place for him. He laid himself down over the covers keeping her hand in his.

"Hey Clint?" She said.

"Yeah Darcy."

"Please still be there when I wake up" she told him and felt promptly asleep. Just like he had done 6 years prior when a teenage girl had saved his life. He kissed the top of her head and took the notebook and paper she had left on the floor.

He wasn't good with words or emotion not really but he could try.

Clint took out his phone and quickly texted Coulson.

 _Barton: Need an hour of the grid Boss!_

He knew Coulson would answer quickly he always did.

 _Coulson: What did you do?_

 _Barton: You were right, Meeting Darcy was violent._

 _Coulson: How is she?_

 _Barton: Missing some clues. How about that hour?_

 _Coulson: Ferguson and Nolan are on watch, you got 45._

 _Barton: I'll make do. We need to talk when I get back. Barton out!_

Clint took his time finding his words, he watched Darcy sleep, after all they did to find her she was finally safe next to him, at least for the next half hour, and she had no idea what so ever.

He tried, really did but he couldn't find the right words to explain what happen, when he didn't even understood it himself, he finally just scribbled a note hoping she'd get that he would come back, he put her phone back on vibrate, slipped out of the bed and out of the room without making a noise, he put his combat boots back on, took one last look at a sleeping Darcy and got out of the building.

Outside he took a minute to breathe deep, than grabbed the radio to turn it back on.

 _Barton: Barton to base._

 _Base: Hawkeye report_

 _Baton: I am heading back to base._

 _Base: Report to Agent Coulson upon arrival._

"Oh I was planning on it" he said looking at the radio. He got in his car and drove right to the desert.

Driving usually helped him get his mind straight but what Darcy said kept turning in his mind over and over again. He finally got back to base, and went to Coulson's made-up office without stopping to answer any agent questions or simple hellos. He got in without knocking Coulson was supposed to be waiting for him anyway, not that he'd bother knocking any other time.

Inside he found Coulson talking about Stark at some event that went on at the Stark Expo with Sitwell.

"Specialist Barton." Sitwell greeted him. Sitwell never liked him, took every opportunity he got to remind Clint that he wasn't a SHIELD agent, although Clint was better off being a specialist, he got the right to say 'no' to stuff he didn't like, didn't get reprimanded for not following orders or improvising or not really being all that respectful toward his superiors. They needed his special skill set and it was getting him out of enough things to get over the reluctance from men like Sitwell.

"Agent Sitwell." He answered.

"That'll be all Jasper, report back if you have any news on Iron Man and War Machine." Coulson said and Clint did a double take when he heard War machine but they had other things to talk about right now.

"Agent Barton, report" Coulson insisted on the word Agent and Clint had to keep himself from smirking when Sitwell turned around to get the door and ended up facing him.

"Dr Selvig took our individual to the next town bar, they got drunk but didn't get into any fight it seemed pretty friendly. The subject seems to have an impressive strength but that's nothing new, they both went back to Dr Foster and she and him were still talking about astrophysics when I left."

He knew that this wasn't what Coulson wanted a report on but they both knew Sitwell was waiting outside he was waiting for a way to shine and getting new Intel would have been a good way. Once the video feed outside of Coulson's office showed that Sitwell was gone Clint sank into one of the chairs putting his head in his hand between his legs.

"She doesn't know Phil, she thinks we abandoned her, she kept telling me she needed me, us, and I wasn't there" Clint was totally freaking out.

They had both spent the last 6 years looking for whoever Darcy could be. When Phil first explained that he was blocking her out on purpose Clint hadn't understand why would anyone want to block their bond out, then he explained how his bond with her worked, what SHIELD was, what they were doing and what he had done when he was in the army, and Clint started to understand, he had been worried too when Darcy had told him she could hear the gunshots, the screams and Barney. Agent Coulson came back every day, still keeping the conversation to strictly signing between them, after asking him how the leg he shot was doing. Clint explained that Darcy could hear them after the flight to the Triskelion, he wasn't sure why he could trust Coulson but he sure felt like the 15 years old didn't need to hear more details about his life, any how he wasn't used to talk to people so he only signed which quickly became a game because a too small number of agents were able to sign.

Coulson had explained that he didn't actually knew anything about her, just that she was a little girl, she was smart, she liked Captain America, which made him smile, and she got a lot of bruises and broken bones. Clint added what he knew to the mix, she was 15, she can read someone thoughts, although with what Coulson had told him maybe she was seeing them more than reading them, the bruising and broken bones apparently were coming from a girl she was bonded with too, and she was finding paper work really boring, Coulson smiled again, she got deaf for a week when he did and with any luck she spend it at an hospital because she said hearing him started after she woke up.

While Clint was consulting with the ENT specialist about implants, Coulson looked into what little pieces of her life they had, but they still got a lot of results they needed more information. They could simply ask, she kept talking to him but he was under 24/7 surveillance, he just couldn't answer her and Coulson was working hard to put his walls back on even though Clint still thought it was a bad idea. The surgery for the implants was scheduled and after one more week he would be able to get some privacy to talk to her in his quarter and maybe figure out a way for her to not listen in on everything around him. Just one more week.

It took him a few days to get that she had totally stopped talking to him, by the end of the week he got his own little quarters and he started talking to her as soon as his door closed but she didn't answer, he thought that maybe she was at school or whatever and kept talking answering the questions she had kept asking while he had to keep silent, he waited until it was almost midnight on the west coast to call out Coulson telling him that something was wrong.

Clint remembered Darcy telling him that Social Services were coming to her house again, and that she wished they would leave them alone, that she had a giant bruise on her back, she wished she would feel them sometimes because she wouldn't be able to forget about them that way.

When Phil got to his quarter he gave him the Intel to work with, child services were not really usual contacts for SHIELD so it might take some time but eventually they'll find her. In the meantime Clint needed to do SHIELD training and a bunch of psych evaluations, and testing of his marksman skills, it will be 2 months of training, then several little missions outside of the country, every time he and Phil would end up at the Triskelion at the same time they would talk about what they found on both ends, Clint was using the connections he had made over the years to find out the third bond, Phil had given him dates and lists of injuries to match to whatever he could find; while Phil was still pestering the Social Services.

Clint had found a bunch of information on women spies coming out of an organization called Red Room, a Russian spy factory, where little girls were trained to become the perfect spies. Coulson knew all about Red Room, SHIELD and the Russian organization had a long history that dated back to honorary director Carter. After the first year, they knew they needed to find Natalia Alianova Romanoff, they could hire her to help find either their missing third or Darcy, and either way it wasn't going to be an easy job. And a young girl named Darcy Lewis was getting in and out of the social services radar in several states, but unfortunately there were more than 1 Darcy Lewis aged between 15 and 16 year old in the USA, well they were 3 Darcy Lewis, and 2 teenagers whose middle name was Darcy and 2 Darcy born under another name but who were either adopted or whose stepfather was called Lewis, and they had no way of knowing if they used their real name each time they change states. From the file they put together Darcy Lewis was a regular on the child services radar over the country but there were some discrepancies in her file.

In between missions they went to visit every Darcy Lewis they could find via the school records, but none of them were the teenage girl they were looking for. Clint never experienced a bond before but Phil had, he knew the feeling of rightness that was coming with it, the need to protect the person you just met, the surge of feelings invading you.

Clint volunteered on a few mission to east Europe, hoping to run into the Red Room, until for one mission he was ordered to kill an enemy agent called "Black Widow" who was under order to kill him too. They ended up facing each other but when his mark asked for his name instead of code names, he asked her to return the favor. After sending a quick text to Coulson, turning off his com cutting himself off of his current handler, Clint and Natasha disappeared for 2 weeks, time where an unprecedented number of Red Room's cells got blown up and a number of high raking agents were found killed. After 16 days, Clint called Agent Coulson telling him that Natasha Romanov was ready to defect they needed a lift and maybe some med kit or paramedics if he could spare some.

Natasha spend a week at the hospital in the same room as Clint because she wouldn't talk if he wasn't there. She got questioned about every mission they knew about and volunteered to give them Intel on the Red Room and the missions she knew were going to go down soon. Fury and Coulson were the only one she was agreeing to talk to respecting their authorities over SHIELD and accepting to work for them but she had conditions, she didn't want to end up as a tool like she was for the Red Room or for anyone who had hire her in between missions. She was made the same offer they made Clint, become a specialist for SHIELD not an agent. She could still freelance and she could chose her mission, it was in her contract even though she never really used the freelance part apart from the work she was doing for herself.

After Natasha's probation time and since she was still not responding to orders from people other than Fury or Coulson, Clint and Natasha ended up with Coulson as a handler, he was pretty easy with them, never harassing Clint about paper work or Natasha about checking on time, he trusted them to get the job done and to know how to adjust to a situation when needed.

Phil had put an alert on all the Darcy Lewis, and another on official government files to find any new ones, in Las Vegas a Darcy Lewis was getting her SATs exams, she was on the younger side of the age range than the one they were looking for but it was the first time they were hearing about her. She gave a PO box address on her registry forms, Phil hated Nevada legislation for allowing that, the Intel was 2 months old, they had been stuck on a mission in Budapest, total underground spy mission with no communication apart from the checking 'we're still alive' once a week that was only a passing by a certain shop at a regular interval.

It took 2 hours for Natasha to find that Darcy Lewis had paid her PO box in change, paid only for a month and never came back after she got her test results send out. That girl was too sneaky not to be the one they were looking for. She dig deeper, looking for any relationship between Las Vegas citizens and the name Lewis. She found a Shelbey Miller, the woman never married, born in Minnesota, has a little sister Elizabeth Ann Miller, would had register for a marriage license to a Thomas Lewis, science teacher at Culver High at the time, they had a daughter named Darcy Miller Lewis born in Culver, Virginia, Elizabeth and Darcy both disappeared from Virginia records when the girl was 6, after social services took an interest in them. Elizabeth Miller only reappeared in Vegas 1.5 years ago, but it was an easy trail to track down. With this Intel they easily found more social services files over the states, they just switched from one last name to another for Darcy, and her mother's name was simply changed a little, from Elizabeth Lewis to Lizzy Miller and in between sometime Ann Lewis or Ann Miller. They had been clever always waiting a few years before using a name again.

Intel verified Clint and Phil took some time off and were on the first flight for Las Vegas, they waited for 2 days in front of Shelbey's house for someone to come in. They met with Elizabeth, telling her they were from Vegas University and they wanted to talk to Darcy about enrollment and scholarship possibilities. They learned that Darcy was already gone, she had enrolled at New York University and had left 2 weeks prior to their visit. They tried to pry about Darcy's life but were rapidly shown the door, and 20 minutes later Elizabeth was out again, they followed her but she only went to work. They decided to get Natasha to call and ask to talk to Darcy once they could check that Shelbey would be the only one home at the time, but she got the same answer, Darcy was in NY.

By the time Clint and Phil got back to the Triskelion, Natasha could tell them that there was no Darcy Lewis, Darcy Miller or Darcy Lewis Miller, on NYU next semester class registry, and that she hadn't found a room or a lease or a job application for that name in NY either. The men had stolen a picture of a young beautiful brunette posing with who they knew now was Elizabeth. Darcy wasn't in any immediate danger so they couldn't use the facial recognition software, Fury wouldn't allow it not even for them. They'll have to wait for the next piece of information to come out. They could still put the picture on the DMV database to check if she ever ask for a driving license.

From time to time, Agent Coulson would find Shelbey Miller's phone records on his desk with a number from NY underlined, but it came from a burner phone, it might be evidence that Darcy was really in NY but they still had no way of finding her. Natasha and Clint were either going on mission, or working on finding out if Natasha was the third bond and if she was what her link to Darcy was, because she didn't share anything with the young woman as Phil or Clint used to be able to in the past.

Clint was missing Darcy, he only had known her for 2 weeks, but she was fun and she didn't care about who he was or what he could do, she only cared about him, wanting him safe, it was a rare feature in his life. He could still feel her moments of happiness or sadness, and for once she seemed to be living more of the first one. Phil told him that he had tried to reach out to her a few time, or woke up from a nightmare expecting her to calm him down. But it was different for Phil, he had other bonds, real documented one mark on his skin, and a family, he was convinced that even though they will keep looking for her until they found her she was better off not sharing their life with them. Clint disagreed, he had Natasha and their relationship had grown into something close to a family or what he had read about family anyway, a little sister who occasionally liked to kick his ass, but would take a bullet for him, but he still missed Darcy, still wanted her close, safe, protected.

One day the phone records file, showed that Shelbey Miller had stopped receiving calls from NY. In 2 weeks a hundreds phone calls had been made to the NY number but never went through, it was a good time as any to get back to Las Vegas, Coulson was helping the military find billionaire Tony Stark who had been kidnapped in Afghanistan, Tony Stark wasn't working for SHIELD but he was legacy and was taking priority over a woman no one had ever seen before, even if Fury wasn't agreeing with SHIELD being involved with Stark, it was the WSC orders.

Clint took Natasha to Vegas, the family had never met her. Darcy wasn't happy anymore, she was scarred, terrified even and they needed to find out what happened. Elizabeth was on a wedding cloud and was not aware that her daughter hadn't call in a while, she seemed to think she kept missing her. Natasha was going to kill him for making her wear a wedding dress for this but she went with it, even stole Elizabeth driving license to have an excuse to stop by the house later. Shelbey wasn't willing to talk either but she had some expenses on her credit cards making them think that Darcy should have been home by now, Greyhound tickets from NY to Vegas dated for a week ago than cancelled, and groceries shopping for more than their usual weekly expanses.

After a year of keeping contact and with only a couple of months between the last call and her mother's wedding, it was highly improbable that Darcy had just cut them off. Natasha went back to working while sending Darcy's last picture too all of their contacts. A month later a rental car agency in NY received the visit of Mr. and Ms. Lewis who were looking for their little sister, they told the director that she was supposed to come home for spring break with some friends but never made it home, they didn't have the name of the friend who rented the car but they had a picture of Darcy and they knew that the group was supposed to go to Vegas. The man didn't remember her but he rented a car around this time to a Max Black the car was supposed to be returned to their Vegas' agency but never got there. They signaled it, but Clint and Natasha already knew that, that's how they got there, they were looking for a name to associate it with. The man had a copy of Max's driver license, but it was easy to see that it was a fake and the picture was masked by the light of the copier.

They asked for a research on the name Max Black, and as thought figured the woman didn't exist, but she had spent the last year in NY, working at a diner, living in Williamsburg, she seemed to have had a nice life for once. Her rental car had been found burned in the desert, not long after Emergencies services had brought an unknown woman to the local military hospital because she wouldn't have survived the trip to the next town hospital. After hacking the military files, Natasha found a Max Black with a long list of symptoms and tests done to her. Natasha wanted to ask for a medical opinion on the files but Clint just wanted to get there first ask questions after they had found her. Any how the files didn't have pictures and was saying that Max had left against medical advice. So they were back to square one and they had a mission in Oslo they were needed for.

They came back from Oslo with Clint in a cast from taking a bullet for Natasha, it was one more thing she owed him according to her so she took it upon herself to go to the Mojave desert and find out if Max Black was Darcy Lewis or not and find out why she was still scared and feeling weak. The file specified the name of the man who saved her from her car and had visited several time after that, so she went to visit him, saying she was Max's friend and she wanted to thank him for what he did.

 _"You don't get it Clint"_ she told him on the phone that night.

 _"You said he recognized the woman on the picture as the one he saved and that she was dead. I get it Nat!"_ he yelled at her.

 _"Clint don't go there. And shut up! Something is not adding up!"_ She yelled back.

 _"Of course it's not adding up you're a spy you see flaws in everything."_ Clint was crying by now, she was on the phone it was okay she couldn't kick his ass from there.

 _"Okay, listen to me and if you don't agree I promise to get you out of that bed and into a bar for a week."_ Natasha bargained

 _"I'm listening"_ if Natasha was ready to bargain going against medical regulations which were the only thing apart from Fury, Coulson and the new deputy director Hill, she would never go against especially about his health maybe he could listen.

 _"So the man said that the hospital personal told him she was dead,"_ Clint took a deep breathe but stayed silent _"but her record showed that she left on her own. Why tell him she was dead if she just left?"_

 _"Okay you got me."_ he admitted _"what now?"_

 _"Now you get medical to look at those files, and I go to the military base see what I can find."_ Natasha was right, he couldn't do anything else from his bed anyway.

 _"You're so bossy today Tasha, not a big fan of the heat?"_ It was his way to say 'thank you' and 'be careful'.

 _"I am Russian and you're a weeping bird, Hawkass."_ her way to say 'you're welcome'

The medical file got them nowhere, none of it was making any sense, Max Black should have been just fine, they gave her some pain meds that she didn't need, she coded a few times the first night without any reason, they stopped transcription on her file after she woke up from a light medical induced coma she was in because she was agitated and it was preventing further worsening of her broken wrist and dislocated shoulder. That's when she was supposed to have left and it was totally plausible since she was in good health and could walk out of there on her own two feet.

However when Natasha called back she had a different set of news, the place was supposed to be a therapy and medical center for vets but it was crawling with soldiers, according to the locals they had come in while they were in Oslo. But the most interesting part was that they were working for General Ross, so they were going to need Fury's order to go further. Natasha still told him that she called and took some vacation she was due for, the desert was growing on her. She was going to stay in town and look into the situation here, maybe try to get inside.

Natasha called him every day and he called Phil in return, more militaries were coming in everyday, some of them were talking about a VIP coming in in a few days. Natasha called hours before she was due, the VIP was Betty Ross and Fury wanted to see and talk to her so her vacation turned into an infiltration mission.

It took her 2 more days to find a nurse to send on vacation far away suddenly, get sent in by the local temp agency, she confirmed that Betty Ross was there, but she had a tail everywhere she went so she had only seen the physical Therapy building after a week. She sent another nurse away and ended up in the surgical wing, but there were 2 rooms she was not allowed in. She got closed to one of the soldier, she had learned how to fake a bond with someone it was all into the attitude, he just needed to believe he was actually feeling her falling in love with him even if it was not happening, after the second make out session on her break it was safe to say that no one would go look for them for at least 15 min so she drugged him and went to the rooms he was guarding.

She almost got caught by Dr Ross and a soldier but hide in the closet and waited for them to pass the doors to get into the room, it wasn't her luck, the room was empty and she took a look at the chart but it only said Patient 10, Female, 19, she needed to get back to her soldier before he woke up, she would try again later.

An hour later, the alarm went off, a patient was missing. Natasha started looking everywhere before she heard the nurses talking. Max was gone, but she would be easy to track down she hadn't gone out in weeks she didn't even know where she was or where to go to. They looked proud of the fact that it would be easy for them to catch her again. Natasha had to wait until the lockdown was lifted, Max/Darcy had 13 hours on her now, she could be anywhere and they couldn't look out for her with Ross' men in the mix.

She called Fury with all the Intel she had, and was asked to stay put, Clint was already on his way after they had intercepted a call for reinforcement from General Ross; and Coulson would join them with strike teams as soon as he was done having a conversation with Tony Stark about his escape.

Clint was there 2hours later with a not so subtle Quinjet he hid in the desert and a delta team in suits who would question people around to know if they saw Darcy.

Phil came in that night, the desert was looking like a parking garage for Quinjet hopefully they were concealed. The Delta team had found a waitress who identified Darcy in both pictures, and had told them that she got on the first bus out of town, at that time of day it was a bus for Los Angeles and they had no way of knowing where she got off to, they would only be able to talk to the driver in the morning. They also said that the woman was wearing a uniform. Natasha spend 10 minutes sending rocks into bigger rocks once she realized what that meant. She informed them of what she saw and that Betty Ross might be an ally if they decided to take over the place.

Natasha guided the strike team around the base, showing them whatever she had found, they raided the place making the soldier looked like scared kids with toy guns. Betty was on the phone with her father when the group got to her office. She was bluntly lying to him or mostly telling him that 'no she didn't let the subject escape especially since volunteers **don't** **'escape** ' and that SHIELD was there but no she hadn't called them (well that was true). Betty gave the phone to Coulson and he kept his cool even though they could hear as the general was shouting at him for invading military properties without a reason, Natasha and Betty disappeared after exchanging quick smiles, they return an hour later, all the soldiers had been lead outside, and SHIELD was looking into the patient files and the volunteers program.

"Gentlemen" Natasha said to get Phil and Clint's attention away from there and into a private room, "I had a nice talk with Dr Ross, if we could find someone to take her to the airport she'd be grateful."

Phil looked at both women and nodded "Dr Ross, this is Agent Ward," he said getting back into the corridor "he is going to escort you to your house in town and then make sure you get to the plane of your choice." he made a signal for the man to step forward and Dr Ross followed him.

"Now this file doesn't exist." She pointed out the file she had in hand once Coulson had get back into the room. "None of you, or any other SHIELD personal will ever read it." She looked at them but they didn't react, they knew that with Natasha there was always more. "I read it and will hide it for the young woman it belongs to if she ever asks for it." They both nodded they were fine with that, they didn't need Darcy's file to build a case against Ross for illegal human experimentation or for her to end up in SHIELD database.

"What about Ross?" Clint asked and Natasha waited to answer as she always did when she was missing part of the information she needed. "Dr Ross?" He corrected himself.

"She got Darcy out when she found out she wasn't a volunteer, but she left her at the gas station we already knew this. We all know she doesn't really have a choice when it comes to her father. I told her we'll try to help, give her a head start this time."

"So Darcy isn't here, we don't know where she is and she was experimented on." Clint summarized.

"Bond experimentation." Natasha told them so they wouldn't be surprised when their scientists come to the same conclusion.

"And now what?" Phil asked.

"Now Delta and strike teams stay here with scientists to look into what was going on, Clint's going to need some vacation days to go after Darcy, I'll make good on the promise I made to Dr Ross, and Phil should go back to Stark, I think we're missing more Intel than we thought about his time in Afghanistan."

Phil Coulson was the higher ranking agent here, but he trusted them, the conversation was held discreetly and Natasha was the one with all the Intel, when they were missing some.

"What did you promise Ross?" Clint asked the same time Phil asked "What about Stark?"

"First Stark, some medical things Dr Ross told me make me think that Stark could be bonded to Darcy. She said that following Darcy's instruction, they had looked for a man with heart problems after an explosion, probably regarding a car, that had occurred the same day Stark disappeared." Phil nodded and started getting his phone out to arrange transport to get back to Malibu instead of Washington.

"And I have to keep General Ross busy so he would lost his tail on Banner if that's okay with you and Fury." She waited for Coulson to ask which meant he had either Fury or Hill on the phone. "She said her father wants to combine the bond studies with the Hulk studies to create an army of Hulk bonded to him."

Coulson gave his phone to Natasha and she disappeared.

"So you okay with not knowing?" Clint asked Phil.

"I spend the last 9 years trying to keep her out of all this. I should have known better." Phil answered.

"Not your fault Boss! We looked for her." Clint argued.

"Natasha is right I don't want to know." Phil finally answered.

"Me neither" Clint said.

"Good so we agree." Natasha was in front of them again without any of them noticing. "I need to be in Mexico in 2 days so I'll get myself out of here. Hill will debrief me when she join me there with the Intel I'll need."

"And I'll be on the next flight for Malibu as soon as all of this mess his dealt with, should be able to meet Stark at the Annual Tony Stark Gala."

"You always go to the best places, Boss." Clint joked.

"I think you're on vacation Agent Barton, get lost. Send me your report by mail." Phil said before Clint walked away from them.

He had the name of the bus driver who took Darcy in and his number, he waited at the Diner, until 6am and started making calls, people tended to be less helping if you wake them up. The driver remembered the military woman she got off at the bus station in Reno. Clint went to Reno, showing pictures of Darcy to cashiers at the bus station, she took 3 tickets LA, NY, and New Orleans; he was sure she wouldn't go back to NY but all three lines were stopping at Las Vegas. He took time to ask the drivers after buying himself a ticket for Vegas, going home seemed logical. One of the Bus driver remembered the woman on the New Orleans line but she didn't get off at Vegas, she went all the way to Colorado Springs. From there he lost her track, one of the baggage handler saw her get into a car, and he couldn't track her if she was hitchhiking, he found the first person who took her in thanks to the video surveillance but they only got her to the other side of town, there were no Video equipment here, he spend a week in town checking possible leads saying that she stayed in Colorado Springs but it went nowhere. He was about to get back to Washington when Phil called telling him that Elizabeth and Shelbey both got a call from a burner phone coming from Boston 2 days before, but no signs of any of Darcy's aliases. Clint hoped on a plane to Boston and started his search for Darcy at the Train station, than the bus station but she had already left, taking a bus for NY.

Before he got to New York, Phil called once again, someone at Culver had asked for Darcy's birth certificate. From New York he drove to Culver, it made sense she was getting back home and Ross would have some balls coming to get her there. When he got to Culver Intel had started to arrive, from both Phil and Natasha, Darcy was at Culver University with the dean, Stark had agreed to pay for her tuition anonymously, Sharon Carter, was a student there and they'll make sure they'll get to live in the same building so Sharon could keep an eye on her until she was ready.

"She needs time Clint" Tasha kept telling him. "She isn't going to trust some government people any time soon, not even you"

Clint staid in the car watching the pretty brunette get in a bus and followed her to a Hostel, he stayed in town looking after her for a month before school started and he had to go back to work. He took more ops out of the country, and training sessions on the other side of the states, to avoid the temptation of going to see her. Natasha got a few mission on the way of getting Ross off of Banner's track but by early spring Banner was back in the state and Natasha had to let it go she would only attract more attention to the man in here. She met with Sharon, to know how Darcy was doing, over spring break while Sharon was visiting her family in Washington.

The Hulk came out, with the Abomination in toe and Harlem went to hell, SHIELD agents were called back to keep an eye on Banner and get Ross of his track, Fury battled with the senate to get Ross out of the military but it wasn't going anywhere. Coulson sent Stark to Ross with explicit instruction to be the most annoying human being he could be while offering him a chair for the Avengers Initiative. Natasha got to Betty after seeing her on the news and got her to a secured place, asking Sharon to cut her vacation short and go back to Culver, if Ross knew about Darcy he'll try something now.

Sharon texted Natasha about Darcy having PTSD from seeing Dr Ross on TV, but promised it was under control and refused to report to any of them on a boring normal student life, she would only agree to call if something was wrong, now that she had made friends with Darcy.

Clint started to take longer missions, met Bobbi, divorced her 4 months later, got his ass kicked by Natasha and Coulson for it. Natasha, became Natalie Rushman for a long mission looking after Stark whose Arc Reactor was poisoning him, Sharon told them that Darcy was feeling a little sick too but the doctors had told her nothing was wrong with her.

Darcy went to New Mexico for an internship. The three spies looked at Dr Foster's file and decided that Darcy would be safe until all the astrophysicists working for SHIELD started to signal something strange going on in New Mexico. Fury called back Coulson from babysitting Stark to send him to Puente Antiguo and once he confirmed something was going on he asked for Fury to send Barton for the mission.

Back to Coulson's office

"She doesn't even know, you are the Soldier she told me about." Clint smirked straightening up. "She hates you for shooting me back then Boss!"

"That's not really surprising me, I remember feeling how angry she was at me." Phil told him.

"What are we going to do now?" Clint asked closing his eyes and thinking about Darcy in her bed not wanting him to disappear still not caring about his job. "She is something."

"Tell me about it" Phil asked and Clint told him about his time with her.


	9. Asgardian shield of emotional fires

**Asgardian shield of emotional fires**

Darcy woke up alone, but she didn't feel disappointed, she was expecting it. She could feel the both of them more intensely, Clint and the Soldier felt amusement and contentment. She opened her eyes slowly and found her Captain America bear with a letter on his nose.

 _Darce,_

 _I can't stay, have to get back to base. But I'll come back tonight so we can talk, and I left my phone number in your new burner. (Where did you find one here?)_

 _Wanted you to know I was never mad at you, didn't cut you off on purpose, and I still need you even if i can hear._

 _If you'll have me._

 _Will you have dinner with me or us tonight?_

 _I want you to know we both either looked for you, or looked after you all this time._

 _Missed you_

 _Clint_

She folded the paper and put it in the back pocket of her jeans, her room was starting to smell like fresh coffee it was time to move from her bed. She put on some clothes, got her phone, opened her door and looked at her clock in the hallway, the event of last night came back to her, and she didn't know if she should cry or smile.

 _Darce: Soooo it's Darce now? Yeah you could bring him but you can't expect me to behave. 7 at Dixies?_

 _Clint: What? it's cute? He'll be there and we'll totally explain everything._

She had to admit she liked it, she never had a nickname before, but she was still mad at Clint and Soldier for blocking her out it had hurt a lot, and she had missed them more than she was ready to admit even though her life had been nice after them, if you forget the Desert and she was currently choosing not to think about it. Plus they were government agent and she was still frightened by those even if Sharon had showed her that nice officials existed too. She couldn't be sure they wouldn't hurt her again though.

She needed to see them, she had to make sure they were happy and safe, she had promised it to herself a long time ago.

She didn't text back. The kitchen got all her attention, at the table Erik was obviously hangover, and Jane and Thor were playing 'Happy couple' by she stove, cooking omelets for everyone, she took a seat and the coffee Jane offered her on the way and just smiled listening as Erik grunts grew more desperate. She waited for everybody to get served and was surprised with her first bite to learn that supposed Alien princes could cook, breakfast was actually edible and fun. She listen enthusiastically as Thor told them the heroic tale of Erik the Rescuer. Jane had her notes back. Everything was for the best.

However Darcy was still waiting for the other shoes to drop. SHIELD wouldn't have gotten involved if Thor and the 'it's not a bat signal Darcy' were not more important than what this nice morning of domestic normality suggested.

The group decided to move to the Lab, or well the empty tables, to see if they could put together everything they remembered from their data. Before they got there, though it was only a few feet away from their perfect breakfast, it was the end of their normal morning. 4 individuals started knocking on the glass doors, Darcy left her mug fall into shattered caffeinated pieces watching as more people were giving her the same feeling Thor had been giving her since that first night. She felt safe, sheltered, protected and she wanted to run as far away from it as she could.

In all fairness she had been right, Lady Sif was really cool. She was standing up for what she believed was right, and she wasn't afraid to make her voice heard. Darcy wanted to be her when she'll grow up, so obviously not now. She, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun had come to bring Thor back to their realm so he could prevent his brother from doing something stupider than what he already did, Darcy wasn't really listening, those were actual Gods they were talking about, some of which her Grandmother used to tell her about as good-night stories, old villages' legends, because her grandmother had done the same.

The Bat-signal was lightening up once again. "Was someone else coming?" she asked pointing at the desert.

But none of their new comers seemed to know what or who was going to join the party. After a few seconds they heard as well as saw explosions near the landing site, at the same time Darcy got her head filed with images from a big metal robot looking Alien like who was spewing fire at SHIELD agents. Obviously her Soldier was there, but she could only feel surprise, he was fine, and around her, people were starting to formulate plans of action she needed to help with, to keep Jane out of arms way. She told them what she knew and once again no one questioned her.

The Warrior Three created a diversion for Lady Sif to save the day, while Darcy, Erik, Jane and Thor got the people out of town. Darcy went to the pet shop to free all the animals or brought the cages to the townsfolks in the truck, they didn't deserve to die either. By the time, she was done, Lady Sif and the Warrior Three were injured, the Destroyer had ruined half of Puente Antiguo, and cars were burning on Main Street. Thor told them all he had a plan, they needed to get somewhere safe, and Darcy was suddenly surrounded by Asgardians, Erik and Jane following them, until she had to keep Jane from going after Thor who was walking right toward the Destroyer.

The Destroyer killed Thor and Darcy had to release Jane who immediately run to him, Erik stood there in shock, but Darcy wanted to go help Jane, distract the Destroyer from them, whatever she would need to do, but the Asgardians were keeping her from doing so. Jane was crying over Thor's lifeless body and she was supposed to be with her friend not being babied.

Something, yeah, something was coming at them form what looked like to be the satellite site, it was fast, and knock the Destroyer before ending up into Thor hand.

"Mew-Mew" she whispered looking as Thor stood up, an armor slowly surrounding him, while surrounding them with thunder. The God wasn't dead, and he was really Thor from Asgard.

Around her everyone cheered but Darcy only got happy once Thor sent Jane back to them to be safe while he defeated the Destroyer. Thor was the God of Thunder, apparently it was the same as saying he controlled the weather, he created a tornado to destabilize his opponent. While once again she found herself getting protected by the Asgardians, Erik protecting Jane from the flying scraps.

The Destroyer was defeated the weather calmed down to reveal SHIELD agents had joined them, and this time Darcy ditched her escort to join Jane as Agent Coulson talked to Thor.

"Donald... I don't think you've been totally honest with me." Coulson joked observing Thor.

"I'll explain later, we're not done." Thor answered him before grabbing Jane, turning Mjolnir in his hand and going away flying.

"So, what no shooting this time?" Darcy asked Coulson who was still standing next her smiling as they watched Thor fly toward the landing site.

"He wasn't injured and refusing medical help." Coulson said before turning to stare at a stunned Darcy, "see you tonight at 7 Miss Lewis."

Darcy didn't have time to answer before Agent Coulson was back in his car. Erik had herded the Asgardians in the van and SHIELD's cars formed a protection around the scientific vehicle so they could join Jane and Thor.

"Does everybody call you Lady Sif or can I go with just Sif?" Darcy asked once in the van.

"Darcy! That's disrespectful" Erik chastised her.

"I don't see why" she protested "I get to drop the DR when I talk to you or Jane and I am respecting the shit out of the both of you"

"Sif is fine, if I can call you Darcy." Lady Sif answered with a smile.

"What else would you call me?" Darcy asked curiously, Thor had insisted on getting the permission to call her Darcy too, maybe it was an Asgardian tradition. Anyhow before she got an answer they were interrupted.

"Wait how is that fair? I've known you for 400 years and I still have to call you Lady Sif" Fandral objected.

"That's just to remind you I am a Lady and your: you." Sif told him and laughter echoed in the van.

"So, how can you speak our language?" She asked Volstagg as they were getting out of the car.

"Your language? Ha! Silly girl, you speak ours." He said as if it was supposed to make any sense to her.

They got closer to Thor and Jane, trying to leave them some privacy by exchanging their own good-byes as Jane was kissing Thor goodbye.

The Asgardians had to call Heimdall a few times but finally the portal opened and they were taken away, leaving everyone staring in awe.

Thor had told Jane he'd came back once he was done with his baby brother, so they stayed near the portal and waited for him to come back, Darcy sitting next Jane hugging her then moving to the van to retrieve some water bottles and a box of cookies, she was feeling the rush of adrenaline starting to leave her and she knew from experience that she and the others were going to be thirsty and hungry once it was totally gone. They waited until the cloud of the portal had totally disappeared before Jane agreed to come back to town.

Some SHIELD agents had stayed with them near the landing site and escorted them back to town where they found Agent Coulson supervising the return of every pieces of 'borrowed' equipment. Jane immediately started to follow to poor agents who were handling her most fragile pieces, she wanted to watch over everything and insisted on testing everything as soon as it was put in the right place, Erik was handling her keeping Jane from assaulting a few of the agents along the way.

"Miss Lewis, a word please?" she heard behind her.

"You're here to return my IPod? Who steal a girl's IPod anyway?" She asked avoiding actually talking to him.

"A few agents are going to stay here and others are going to be cleaning the town. Bearing Thor's return would you please keep Ms. Foster..." he started.

"It's Dr. Dr Foster not Ms." she retoured and he nodded.

"Would you please keep Dr Foster and Dr Selvig in the premises?" Coulson said in a very professional voice.

"I am not their handler I am not supposed to force them to do anything. Jane is technically my employer." Darcy said.

"Ms Lewis!" he answered simply.

"Yeah okay no going out." she agreed "But what about our dinner?" she thought she would surprise him but he just smiled a shy smile still looking at Jane and Erik ordering his men around.

"I am pretty sure Agent Barton and I can manage something if you don't mind doing this here." He said serious once again.

"What about the agents who are here to look after us? Are they supposed to see you eat with me?"

"They would have at Dixie's anyway and they'll stay outside, they don't have the clearance level to hear half of what we have to tell you." He surprised her.

"And I do?" she asked concerned.

"You'd be surprised Darcy." he told her before leaving her at her work.

Darcy went to help Jane turn on some of the equipment she had learn how to use and kept Erik from going on internet a couple of times before all their stuff were back in their places. The routine helped cleansing her head from the day they just had, she kept checking on the manometer, looking into their old data, and the new ones SHIELD had left them with, from time to time she would glance at one of the agents on site but they seemed utterly uninterested by the science behind the Bifrost. Jane kept getting lost looking at the window to the landing site, waiting for Thor to return, and Darcy did her best to keep her busy with new access to SHIELD's satellites or mugs of coffee and Pop Tarts.

The Agent on her line of sight, got swiftly out of the building and she turned around to find Clint and Coulson, with enough take out boxes for everyone and a folder almost as big as Jane's astronomy book.

"Drs, Ms. Lewis, if that's okay we brought food." Coulson started but before Darcy could reply Erik put himself between the SHIELD agents and his protégées.

"What do you want from us?" Erik sneered at them.

"They are here for me Erik, it's okay I invited them." Darcy put a hand on the scientist and pulled him toward Jane while she approached the two men. "Let me introduce you."

"Erik, Jane, this is Agent Barton and Agent IPod Thief, aka Coulson, I am bonded to them." Before anyone could interject she continued.

"Clint, Coulson, this is Dr Foster and Dr Selvig." She didn't know why she separated them, putting them in little professional cases where they couldn't meet intimately in her head but she was fine with it. "They came to explain to me where they disappeared to for the last 6 years."

"You mean you know SHIELD agents?" Jane inquired.

"Nope met them the same way you did, well except Clint met him last night while Thor was explaining the universe to you." Jane blushed and even though it wasn't nice of her it made Darcy feel better.

"Than what do you mean 6 years?" Darcy knew more questions were coming her way.

"Hey Janey remember when the crazy homeless guy you kept running into with the van turned out to be an alien Prince/God?" She asked rolling her eyes at Jane.

"Right! Right..." Jane sighed and looked at them again.

"Okay, but you have to stay where I can see you all the time and your hands too." She finally said looking at Coulson and Clint, than at the food. "What did you bring?"

"It's not exceptional but it's hot" Clint answered pulling out hot bottles of soups and boxes of pasta, with something that looked like meat. "it's from the mess hall. Sorry"

"It's okay, everything else in town is either destroyed or closed anyway." Erik agreed and once everybody got a plate, Jane and Erik returned to their data while Clint, Coulson and Darcy stayed at the kitchen table silent.

"So you said you had a lot to explain. Might as well go on with it." Darcy said the silence making her nervous, she missed her Asgardian shield of warriors it would have help keep the emotional stuff away.

"We brought you this." Coulson said handing her the folder. She took it but sat it down next to her plate without opening it.

"Does it say why you cut me off? Or why you shot him?" Darcy asked.

"I shouldn't have." Coulson quickly said "Shot him I mean. You forcing your vision board into my head, it made me sick." she made a face at learning that, she remembered how his visions had gotten her sick a few days ago, it wasn't a pleasant feeling. "Look it's no excuse but he is hardheaded, he wouldn't listen to me when I told him I was here to help and that he wasn't in danger." Coulson sighed.

"First I don't remember the 'safe and helping" part" she said and was interrupted by Clint "He was signing to me"

"Yeah okay whatever, second how shooting someone is supposed to make him feel safer?" Darcy asked.

"I said I was tired. He followed me, got looked over. He was fine." Coulson showed Clint with his hand proving that the man was perfectly fine.

"And honestly him shooting my leg not my head or the hand I was holding my bow with made me feel safe" Clint added.

"You're both crazy." she sighed putting her head on her arms on the table. "Go on"

"Come on Darcy, you saw my nightmares, you were so young, I didn't want you to see how my life was, I didn't mean to reject you completely I just wanted you to be safe." Coulson told her honestly.

"That worked out so well." she said encompassing the space around them, before turning her head to them "Sorry, not your fault."

"I guess Clint told you what I told him about last night?" she asked Coulson as Clint was still silent watching the two of them talk.

"Some." Coulson conceded.

"It was a lot to handle losing the both of you, having to move again because of the third one. I liked my life where we were and I would have stayed if I had someone who didn't thought I was crazy to support me." She told them, her head in her arms again so she wouldn't have to look at them.

"Darce, I told you what happened with the implants. I don't know why it cut you off, I never wanted that, I just..." He hesitated while Darcy and Coulson were waiting patiently for him to find his words. "It's not true, I was planning to ask you if you could turn it off sometimes" he told her honestly and it warmed her heart a little, "I didn't know how it worked I just remembered you telling me that you've been trying to talk to me for years and that you had heard the screams and you were looking out for me. I didn't want that for you either" He looked at Coulson "but I would have still liked coming home and talking to you, or hearing your voice when I was at the hospital, it was the best part of joining SHIELD." He blushed a little but he wasn't done.

"If I had known the implants would have cut you off I would still have them but I would have talk to you about it first figure out another way to talk, or find you. I needed them to be better at my job and safer. Didn't mean I didn't need you too." he finished and looked sleeplessly at an invisible point on the table between Darcy and Coulson.

"I like it you know." She said and he looked at her confused. "When you call me Darce, I like it." she told him smiling.

Another silence came around the table before Darcy's elbow bumped into the folder.

"So Agent IPod Thief..." she started "It's Phil, Phil Coulson" she looked at him and went back to what she was saying, "So Phil, what's in the folder?" she didn't have any more question about them abandoning, her, it would be a process to admit they didn't meant to, the folder might help, and she was starting to get that it was as much her fault as it was theirs, she didn't wait for Clint to get better to leave them behind, she had already thought about that when she was experimented on.

"You!" he said simply and waited for her to open the folder. "It's everything we found on you while we were looking for you all those years."

"You're SHIELD agents how come you never found me?" She asked sadden again.

"Well you're almost as good at disappearing as our best agents." Phil told her and made her laugh "I said almost, with a little training you could beat them"

"I'm not signing for SHIELD Phil." she told him shaking her head.

"We'll see." he said looking right at her then went on "we found you, at some point you'll see, we just had a bad timing." He pointed the folder.

"Betty" Darcy whispered but both men heard her.

"She is safe, someone we trust got her away from her father after Harlem." Phil told her.

"Thank you." She simply told him. Betty was safe she didn't need to know more. "She saved me I owe her."

"I don't think she sees it that way" Clint intervened. "But I know someone who thinks the same way you do" he smiled while thinking about them and she felt a pinch of jealousy that got her to feel guilty immediate. But either they hadn't feel it or were really good at hiding what they were thinking.

"And we knew you were at Culver or that you were here. We just wanted you to live a normal life." Phil added.

"You what?" she asked shocked. "You knew where I was but you didn't came after me!"

"Tasha said you needed time." Clint answered

"Who's Tasha?" she snapped at him feeling jealous again.

"Read the file Darce." He said before adding. "Was she wrong?" he seemed really scared that she might have been, that it was too late.

Darcy thought about it, about seeing SHIELD agents come in her dorm, or grabbing her on the street and she remembered spring break and Sharon keeping her safe so she could sleep. She shook her head both to tell them no and stir away the tears that were starting to get in her eyes.

"I wouldn't have agreed to dinner, or to you helping me last night. Not then."

She opened the Folder and saw how everything was color coded into separate file holders, she smiled thinking about Jane's files, she looked at her friend and saw that she was still talking data with Erik.

"You don't have to read it now, or you could ask question if you'd like." Clint told her and her shook her head again.

"No it's okay" She took one of the folder and saw the reproving look Phil sent her when it wasn't the first one in the folder. ' _Get used to it pal, I am an administrative rebel'_

She opened the file to find bus and plane tickets, rental car invoices, all in Clint's name after her escape from Ross' complex, it was following her almost to the day, she took them out one at the time, quickly reading the reports attached to it. Natasha was mentioned a few times, looked like she was helping Banner, while Clint was looking for her, but nothing from Phil until the last page. A copy of a mail from Stark to Coulson confirming that their girl was going to stay at Culver and he would pay even if she was choosing to study politics, with politics underlined several times, she didn't even know you could do that.

"So I was right, I guess." She looked between Clint, Phil and the printed mail. "About Stark."

"You knew?" Clint asked and she glared at him.

"Dude, I am way smarter than I look, but even a 10 year old could have make the connection." She told him trying not to get offended.

Phil laughed at them. "Yeah we know that, but not everyone would have assumed it was Stark."

"Okay I have a few questions about that" she said looking very serious.

"Shoot." Phil said and she crocked her eyebrow at him "Don't tempt me".

"First is he okay? I mean the marks disappeared and I don't know what he had but he is better right?" she asked more compassionate than curious.

"Palladium poisoning, and he cured himself by creating..." Phil took a pause to look at the scientists. "No, you know what he'll have more fun explaining it to you."

"So I was having second hand Palladium poisoning?" She asked but dismissed them when they looked worried. "All better"

"Second question: If he gets to be dying again and I sell all the Stark Industry actions I don't have yet, can I be put in jail for insider information trafficking?" she crooked her eyebrows at them conspiring.

Clint who was playing with his chair putting it in balanced positions almost fell on his ass when she made Phil laugh.

"Technically yes, even though only a little group knows, it's still illegal" he paused clearly for effect "but you can tell us." This time it was Darcy's time to laugh.

"You having fun out there?" Jane called out from somewhere in the lab.

"Yes Mom." Darcy answered and heard Jane mumbling protest at the nickname.

"This group? How little is it?" Darcy asked, looking at Jane and Erik.

"10 people, and you are free to tell them if you want, or you can just tell them about the two of us." Phil continued. She nodded. She'll think about it.

"So No SHIELD?" It was the only thing she really needed to know.

"The two directors and 5 Agents know including Clint and I, it's on a need to know bases only." Phil told her.

Every time Phil was answering one of her question, she was feeling Clint grow more anxious, looking with ever widening eyes at Phil.

"How confidential is all of this exactly?" she finally asked.

"Told you it's your life it's normal for you to know and your clearance level is higher than you would think." He answered simply, Clint was fidgeting,

"I don't think he knew how far my clearance went." she pointed at Clint who shook his head stopping his fidgeting.

"You don't have access to certain files even with it, a lot of them even agents with lesser clearance have access to, unless you'd like to reconsider." Phil said lightly.

"Not signing." she singsonged.

"So yeah High enough clearance to read your own file, and Stark's if you're interested in it." Clint looked at him then but not because he hadn't read Stark's files even though it was showing, it was more pleading. "You'll be able to read Agent Barton's and Agent Romanov's too as soon as the director is done redacting them." His voice was clearly back to Agent Coulson. "You won't read mine Miss Lewis, I am sorry, but I still think that you should be kept out of all this even if I am the only one"

Wow the man was recruiting her 5 seconds ago.

"Don't get me wrong I am glad we finally found you, you seem to be a brilliant, fun person, you're full of life and courageous, and I'll be glad for every chance you give me to get to know you better, but the things I wanted to protect you from when you were 10 didn't disappear just because you turned 21. I love my work at SHIELD, I can't let myself be compromised every time I bond with someone" He was earnest, serious, and wouldn't take no for an answer.

"You know don't you?" She asked not wanting to explain.

"I can take a guess." He said but she looked at Clint told him 'no'

"So no unicorns and Disney Princesses?" She asked getting them back to a joking tone.

"I learned how to do without them, they were weirder than the nightmares." he answered daring Clint to make fun of him with a glare. He stood up and looked at Clint and Darcy.

"I'll take my leave." He said surprising them. Clint started to stand up but he stopped him. "Agent Barton you're dismissed for the night. I'll see you at the base at 08:00. Darcy it was a pleasure really, I hope to see you again soon. Please call me if you want to meet with Mr. Stark I'll arrange a meeting."

With that he left them and soon after two agents were back at the far end of the building, the furthest they could be from Clint and Darcy.

"Well that was weird." Clint said. "Maybe I shouldn't..." He started to be confused about Phil's speech he clearly didn't know he was going to say all that, or that he disapproved of sharing files with Darcy if she wasn't joining SHIELD.

She could take a guess at what he was about to say. "Don't! It's different. I can't explain right now I am not sure I actually get it, but it's different." she told him patting his hand reassuringly.

"If you say so." he told her looking at their hands but not moving, still confused.

"Plus I already know what you do for a living remember." and seeing him tensing up added. "I still don't care you know. Anyway you work for law enforcement of some sort now you should be proud."

"Still kill people." He mumble and she squeezed his hand.

"If they ask you to?" she asked and he nodded. "So we're still good."

He smiled. "So you want to know about Tasha?" he asked and she nodded vigorously pushing the folder away she'll read it later.

Clint told him about the Red Room and almost made her cry telling her how they met, then laugh when she heard some of the stories where Tasha got to kick his ass to get his head straight. He not so subtly tried to talk about Bobbi in the middle of it, and Darcy had a lot of question, he answered when he could and she let it go when he couldn't or wouldn't, and they went back to Tasha.

Clint loved her that much was sure, he trusted her, but even if she really had no reason to be jealous to begin with, Clint wasn't hers after all, she didn't even trust him completely, she got the feeling that Tasha was more family to him than a love interest. She made her think about Sharon and Jane in some ways, stubborn, stronger than they looked, would protect what's theirs against everything. She was going to love her too.

"So you think Tasha is my mystery woman?" She finally asked Clint.

"Yeah but we couldn't find what you could share with her." he told her. "Like you could send picture to Phil or talk to me but she never got bruises that were not hers."

"No one ever beat me up." Darcy replied.

"But you fell when you were little, learning how to ride a bike or climbing up a tree? Every kids do." he explained.

"I guess, yes. But I am not sure that's how this works."

"She didn't remember having any. So we were thinking...' he was starting to explain.

"No" she stopped him.

"But Darce..."

"No!" she stood up and looked at him intensely, "No one is stabbing, bruising, breaking any part of Tasha's body, just to know for sure, you hear me." she scowled him.

"To be fair it was her idea." He added quickly.

"I don't care, It's a stupid idea." she was part angry part amused but sure of herself.

"If, and I did say 'if' she gets hurt again, and from the stories and my knowledge of her history it's not a big if, we'll check to see if I am injured too, but no doing it on purpose. Crazy people." she said pushing her chair away and starting to walk toward her room.

Clint looked at her a little lost.

"My bed is more comfortable than those chairs." she simply said before adding seeing he hadn't move. "You're coming?"

"Jane" he said almost sounding afraid of the little scientist.

Darcy looked around and pointed out Jane asleep under one of her machines and Erik lightly snoring over books on Norway's legend. "If I wake them up to ask permission, I'll never be able to put them back to sleep."

Clint laughed and Erik moved a little so Darcy shushed him.

"Come on. I am used to sharing my bed with my friends, and if I fall asleep you'll keep the nightmares from today away. Deal?" She asked tugging him toward her door, waving at the agents who were slowly slipping back into the lab as they retreated from the kitchen. "Plus, we're not going to let them freeze to death on the desert's night. I'll even promise to make super eager sex noise to save your street cred' if you want." she offered seriously.

"My street cred' will survive without it. But I might not if we wake Jane." he countered.

"Good point" she considered pushing him in her room.

They spend the rest of the night reading the folder, Clint answering every questions she had. He felt guilty when she asked why they had to wait for Natasha to hack into her files, but Phil refused to hack government database unless it was an emergency and even though Clint shared Tasha _'I'll find the Intel where it is not where you tell me to look_ ' policy he had no talent for hacking at that time, Natasha taught him since then, not all she knew that would be stupid but enough to at least match Darcy's skills. They knew about the disappearing files in Social Services' servers, they had been lucky she learned that trick after they had found her.


	10. A little bit of Heaven A little bit of H

**A little bit of Heaven A little bit of Hell.**

This time when Darcy woke up, Clint was still there. She had only been asleep for a couple of hours. She felt groggy and she really wanted to resent him for waking her up but what kind of a woman would she be if she could resent a man for waking her up before leaving for work?

"Clint, it's 6 am." She complained.

"I know but it's an hour ride to get back to base and I have to shower and change before I meet with Coulson." He was making sense she knew it somewhere in her foggy brain but 6 am was really too early.

"Mmhh okay" she told him, hugging him tighter in the meantime.

"Darce, come on. They won't let me come back to town if I get in. late." Clint tried to pry her away.

"Phil knows where you are." She mumbled.

"It doesn't work that way." It was too early for SHIELD's regulation so Darcy pushed him out of her bed.

"Don't wake up my scientist." She said into her pillow.

Clint laughed leaning over her to kiss the top of her head, letting his hand trail in her hair like he had done all night. "I won't."

"You're going to be late Barton." She joked still half asleep.

"I don't think I'll be able to come by today." He sounded kind of worried.

"Argh… Clint, it's too early for that." She complained.

"I just wanted you to know." He told her, laughing again when she stock out her tongue at him.

"Just don't go away without saying goodbye and we'll be good." She said finally looking at him. He was utterly adorable but she couldn't let him go out like that the agents would never stop teasing him.

"Get in here." She told him sitting up, getting her legs under her to get a little higher. She put her hands in his hair trying to make them look a little less bedridden a little more professional. He looked sheepish and shy. "Look I get it you're a super-secret agent, you're not going to be able to always be here or always answer if I call or text, I am not alone anymore Clint I don't need you to save me, except from Aliens invasion of course" he rolled his eyes, "Just don't disappear again." She told him brushing his shirt trying to get rid of its wrinkles.

He put his hand under her chin so she would look at him. "I won't." He took her phone from the bedside table to show her something. "I put Tasha's number in it, if I disappear she'll track me down and bring me back kicking my ass all the way back to you."

Darcy laughed she didn't even care that she was fully awake now.

"Now go, you're going to really be late." She let herself sank back into her bed, maybe she could try to sleep again just a little. She closed her eyes and listened as Clint made his way out of her room than in the corridor.

"What the hell?" Jane was screaming.

"Shit." Darcy got out of bed stumbling to get rid of the sheet that had wrapped itself around her ankle. "Jane don't kill him!" She shout out finally free from her bed.

When she got to the lab Jane and Erik were both awake and Jane was threatening Clint with Sparky. Darcy hadn't even thought of bringing it with her last night. She put herself between Clint and Jane taking Sparky from her friend's hand.

"Don't shoot me, Jane!" she told the nervous scientist. "Look at me, it's 6 am and I am wearing all the clothes I was wearing yesterday, nothing happened, we just didn't want to wake the both of you so we talked in my room." Jane was looking at her clothes with a critic stare.

"Told you not to wake them." She whispered to Clint.

"She was already up." Clint defended himself.

Darcy sighed "So new tradition? Whoever fall asleep with a partner…" She looked at Erik, no way was he getting out of this "after talking late into the night gets to make breakfast?"

Jane gave up Sparky resigned "you're way too awake." She said eyeing Darcy suspectfully. "I want waffles." than turned her back to them to go to the kitchen.

"Hey, I want waffles too." Darcy heard Clint said behind her.

"Really? I thought you were late soldier." She told him pushing him toward the door. "I'll make you some next time." He smiled at her and left as she went back to the kitchen to make waffles.

"He could have stayed." Jane offered and Darcy rolled her eyes at her. "What? He seems nice."

"He is, they both were. But your boyfriend gave them plenty of work to do and to us too. So what did you figured out last night?" She asked while getting everything she needed out of the fridge.

"You're not getting off that easy, you owe us a story Darcy." Erik pipped out his first words of the day. And she was sorry to say that he was right.

They spend all morning listening to her story while eating waffles, their afternoon, listening to Erik telling them about how bonded people were treated early in his generation, and Jane explaining how she never had any other marks than her parents and that it was part of why Donald was gone, he had always dated women with bond marks so he would know they wouldn't get attached to him. Like Darcy had already established the man was a Douchebag.

The next two days were dedicated to analyzing data, going to the landing site to take measures, photographs, comparing Thor explanation of Yggdrasil, the Nine Realms and the Bifrost to Norway's Legends or history, and researches on Einstein-Rosen Bridge, scientists around the world were conducting and SHIELD just happened to have on tidy little servers. Darcy made a point on hiding on dark servers all of Jane and Erik's work, only reporting to SHIELD what they had Data to collaborate.

"I think someone promised me waffles." She heard behind her on the third morning, they all had gotten so used to SHIELD agents in the lab or in town that she hadn't noticed Clint when he got in.

"Clint!" she cried out hugging him side way so she could keep typing her SHIELD paperwork. She was starting to get that Phil wasn't always trying to bore her, SHIELD really loved its paperwork, at least she was glad they had switch to computerized version since she was a teen, super-secret government agencies should go green too.

"Can I steal you for a few hours?" He asked serious.

She looked over at Jane and Erik, they were trying to calibrate SHIELD satellite to find something, they had told her what it was called several times but they seriously couldn't expect her to actually learn it before she saw the exact spelling so she could google it.

"I guess. What do you have in mind?" She was all for spending time with super cute, super cut, super-secret agent who she was bonded with, and his ridiculous arms, even if Jane had made a good argument on Girls' night the night before that Thor's were bigger, but he was a God, it wasn't a fair comparison.

"Well first Waffles." He said with puppy eyes.

"Clint I still have papers to do." She complained, while simultaneously standing up to go to the kitchen. She looked around her and crooked her eyebrow at him, "How did you do that?"

"That's top secret." He told her mischievously. But really she could feel how hungry he felt and she just was still trying to separate this kind of things from her own feelings so she got hungry too. It had absolutely nothing to do with his beautiful eyes, it was her story and she would stick to it under torture.

"Okay waffles." She said taking out everything she needed to nourish the four of them. "And then what?"

"Tasha is going to stop by on her way back from Malibu, she went back there with Stark to help him find a new assistant, she felt like she owed Miss Potts." Clint explained grinning, there was a story behind that she knew it, but Miss Potts was notoriously nice and had been dealing with Tony Stark for long enough to maybe deserve some help finding a replacement for the spy.

"And you're saying that now?" She panicked, Tasha was as badass as Sif, from the stories Clint had told her, and Darcy was in sweat pants and her Culver hoody, she hadn't brush her hair in 2 days just put them up in a bun to get them away. Suddenly she realized what she looked like and that she hadn't care about it 5 minutes ago when Clint came in. "Should I make more waffles for her?" she finally asked resigned, who cared what she looked like anyway. She had been covered in dust when Clint and Phil had come to diner, they didn't look shocked by it.

"You don't need to impress her you know?" He was staring at her like as if she was an enigma he was trying to resolve.

"I just want to make sure someone feeds the super-spy something other than what you got for us last time." She said fidgeting under his piercing grey eyes. ' _Weren't they blue last time?_ '

"I am sure she'll like it." He finally said smiling at her while starting to crack the eggs for her.

The four of them ate breakfast, Darcy only had to kick Jane twice in the shin to keep the conversation civil, Erik knew not to ask about SHIELD and Jane knew she had to stop trying to be her bigger sister if she wanted Darcy to cook ever again. Clint actually managed to help her complete her paperwork after their meal, so she would have time to take a shower and do something with her hair before they had to meet up with Tasha.

"I don't even know what I am supposed to call her." For her, he had always been Clint, Agent Barton was new, Coulson had asked her to call him Phil before telling her he preferred if they keep a certain professional distance between them, she had felt his walls slowly coming back up for the past couple of days, now that he had explained it she felt better about it, still hurt but she also had that certainty that it was for the best. Tasha was only Tasha for Clint and from what he told her the last newbie who tried to call her that ended up in the infirmary for the rest of the day before resigning.

"She's not as bad as you think." He told her joking.

"I can't just call her Tasha. Clint! We're not even sure if she and I are bonded." Darcy whispered while they watched people get out of Stark's jet.

"Oh, but we could find out." They heard coming from behind them. Clint didn't seem surprised but Darcy had jumped away a little, her heart pounding in her chest. She eyed the red head, then the plane and kept doing it for a few seconds.

"How did you even did that?" before sighing "No, I know, super-secret spy stuff."

The women looked beautiful, Darcy had only gotten a few really quick really painful images of her from Phil when they met and they were not giving her justice, she was wearing a tight black jean that seemed painted on her, a simple white shirt with the 2 top buttons undone, and a thin black leather jacket. Her ponytail on her long wavy hair and her natural make up contrasted with the combat boots. She was perfect.

Darcy was so not ready for that. She wanted to be anywhere but here, she suddenly remembered the headache from Phil or the overhearing from meeting Clint and got scared of what she could get from the girl she had always only share injuries with.

"Darce, it's okay, you're safe with us." She heard Clint whispering as if he was standing far away from her and not having his front pressed against her back his hand rubbing her arms gently.

"I…" she stopped and took a deep breath, "Sorry, I guess, I know it wasn't your fault…" she started putting her hand over one of Clint's so he won't move "but the night we met, my ears they hurt so badly, and I guess you should know I got a terrible headache from meeting Phil, and I…"

"You don't want to get hurt by me." Natasha finished for her.

"Sorry…" Darcy kept telling her.

"It's not going to happen you know." Tasha stated taking a step toward her.

Darcy could feel Clint tense against her, but she was too busy looking at Natasha with wide eyes to care about that right now.

"How could you know that?" She finally asked.

"Well first it's been 10 minutes and you're fine." Tasha started explaining.

"Took me half an hour with Phil." Darcy countered.

"Did it really?" Tasha asked. Darcy recounted the event of that day, trying to figure out when her headache had started, Natasha was right, it took her half an hour to get to the bathroom but she had felt bad when she saw him. She shook her head.

"Second I was trained to not get affected by bonds" seeing both of their incredulous looks she extrapolated. "We'll talk about the Red Room another time, to put it simply, **you** shared stuff with Phil and Clint before when you were growing up, but never with me, so we're good."

"But the bruises and the injuries, I shared that with you." Darcy wasn't really asking, she was trying to put out the facts.

"No **I** shared them with you." Natasha was trying to make things easy but she really wasn't helping. "Look can we go somewhere nicer? I'll explain."

Darcy nodded and Clint led them both to the car. He drove for about half an hour and they ended up in a little ranch in between Roswell and Puente Antiguo, the place had a restaurant and a spa, Jane and Darcy had talked about making an appointment before Thor came into their life.

A nice waitress, obviously on her summer job, not older than 16, greeted them at the door and per the spies request led them to a table at the back of the place close enough to the window that they could see people coming from the road but far enough from the doors that they would have time to act, and maybe hide Darcy or draw guns she was sure both of them were caring before anything bad could happen. Sharon's dad had taught her that once when she asked why the specific placement in an empty restaurant. She dutifully sat between them her back to the window like she had learn, surprising them both.

"What? That way you can talk to me and look at the road at the same time." She told them, and they both grinned.

The waitress came to give them the menus, and take drink orders, Clint and Darcy both took Sodas but Natasha ordered Vodka and told the waitress to just bring the bottle.

"I am off duty." She told them when the waitress had left. "And I deserve it if I have to talk about the Red Room." Clint was nodding at that and Darcy felt compelled to do too even though she hadn't known what it was about yet.

"So Darcy, what do you know about how your bond works?" Natasha asked and Darcy was surprised to realize she had actually been the first one to outright ask in a very long while. She started to fidget on her chair playing with her knife on the table.

"I don't like talking about it." Darcy answered as the waitress came back with their orders. Natasha tilted the bottle of vodka at her silently asking if she wanted a shot. Darcy told her no.

"It's not an interrogation Darcy, I promise. How about I tell you what I know and you stop me if I am wrong or you have something to add." Natasha took a shot before looking at her again, subtly glancing at the road every once in a while. Darcy nodded staying silent. Clint had put his hand over hers so she would stop playing with her knife, it was anchoring her someway to the desert now, and not the desert back then.

"I should tell you I read your file from the Mojave's facility." Darcy twitched and glanced over at Clint. "Just me!" Natasha assured her quickly, "I am also the only one who talked about it with Dr Ross. And I hide it."

Darcy had wonder why it wasn't in the folder Clint and Phil had brought her, she also realized that Natasha must have been the agent they told her had hide Betty from her dad after Harlem.

"Thank you" she whispered more reverent than scared.

"As I understand it, our traumas linked us to you and you got some after effect from them, even though Dr Ross couldn't figure out why those specific events and not previous ones." Natasha continued as she had said nothing.

"That's because…" She stopped herself she had never really explained it to anyone. "It's the…" She stopped once again and Natasha was about to speak again like nothing had happen allowing Darcy to just let it go if she wanted. "I can do it." Darcy told her. "Betty came in late into the program, I had already stop talking to anyone about anything, if they were going to experiment on me I wasn't going to help them achieve whatever deranged goal they had."

She felt Clint tense up but couldn't look at him so she focused on Natasha instead, and felt something against her leg when Natasha assuredly kicked Clint like she had done with Jane that morning. The waitress was approaching again and Natasha made a sign for her to wait, they gave her their orders. It wasn't long but it allowed Darcy to take a few deep breathe she was grateful for. She watched has Natasha took a knife that wasn't one of their table's set from Clint's hand as he was now crushing hers with the other.

"Hey, I am here now. Although I am not a big fan of hospital, so relax a little would you?" she told him glancing at her hand, he released it immediately, mumbling a string of sorry, but she grabbed it to put it back on hers. "So as I was saying, apart from letting her take a few blood and telling her I wasn't a volunteer" she purposefully turned her hand into Clint lacing their fingers together to distract him, while still looking at Natasha who was doing a good job at avoiding to look at that particular space on the table. "I didn't explain anything to her."

"Would you tell us?" She asked sounding uncertain. Darcy wonder if she just wanted to be sure about her own theory or if she was really looking for clues about herself here.

"Emotions; the pain isn't enough, there need to be emotions on your end strong ones for it to connect with me." Clint had told her what had happened to his hearing the other night so she was sure of her now.

"Phil had lost soldiers he cared for, Clint had…" she stopped but he squeezed her hand, "I guess even if you didn't believe the townsfolks about the theft you still felt betrayed, by the world, or fate or whatever you want to call it, for having to pay for something you didn't do, again" she theorized and the two spies stayed silent "Stark was scared, I could feel it intensely even under drugs" She looked at Natasha "took me longer to figure out what you were feeling because I had never experienced it before" Darcy took a deliberate breathe looking for any sign that Natasha didn't want for her to continue. "You felt abandoned, alone." Darcy's voice broke a little at admitting that.

"From what we got on you and the dates, I'll say you were right, it was the first time I failed at the Red Rooms. Not only was I injured but I learned that the privileged, and extra attention I had hardly won over the previous years were all going to be taken away, because I had only made one mistakes, I guess it's when I realized that the people training us really didn't care about us." Natasha added, from Clint regular slow stroke of his thumb on her wrist she could tell it wasn't the first time he heard that story or knew worst ones.

"That doesn't explain why I am not crying in pain, or covered in all your previous injuries or whatever else horrible thing should have happened when we met." Darcy said before correcting herself quickly. "Not horrible, just painful" she winced glancing at Clint.

"It's fine I was there, I saw remember?" he told her.

"Okay horrible, I hate it, I am not sure I ever want to meet Stark" Darcy finally admitted, when the waitress she hadn't notice put her plate in front of her. "Industry security again, it was humiliating really." She quickly added before saying ' _thanks_ '.

"Nice! You're good at this you should…" Darcy interrupted Natasha.

"Phil already tried, I am not joining SHIELD" They both started laughing, and Darcy felt better already.

"So Red Room program wasn't just about teaching us dance classes, where is where I spread my ankle by the way." Natasha took over "The first time maybe" Darcy mumble but Natasha continued. "They were paid to turn us into perfect little spies, spies can't be attached…" Darcy didn't say anything but glanced between Natasha and Clint grinning, unattached her ass. "Or so they kept telling us, most of us didn't have bond marks, a few only had their parents' one. One of the teacher was there entirely to teach us about bonds, how to fake one, how to disable one if it ever happened, or in case our enemies tried to create one with drugs,"

"But you…" Darcy interrupted again, helpfully Natasha kept ignoring her interventions.

"How to never let others feelings affect us, keeping possible bonds from affecting us." She finally said. "You have to understand since I don't have marks and I didn't know you existed before I heard SHIELD was looking for me and why, they didn't have to try and cut you off like they did with other girls, but we were conditioned to never…"

"Yeah I get it, they didn't want their little spies stumbling upon an unforeseen bond mate and run away with them because they were suddenly feeling loved or cherished. They couldn't let you be compromised." Darcy stood up suddenly. "If you'll excuse me."

"Darce…" Clint tried to stop her, but she never walked out of a room quicker.

She walked to the restroom and locked the door behind her. She was a liability, making people compromise their life, sacrificing happiness, believes, all because of her. She threw up what little of her lunch she had already ate, seating on the hopefully clean floor, waiting for her heart to stop pounding in her chest.

"Darcy" she heard above her before watching Natasha slowly joining her on the floor handing her tissues. "I didn't… Phil is an idiot." She told her, Clint must have explained what Coulson had said.

"No he's right, you're spies, and I am just me. What you do is so much more important than whatever all this is or isn't." Darcy stood up, convincing herself that putting an end to that little experiment now was the best solution. She walked the few steps to the sink but Natasha stopped her.

"I don't fell compromised." Natasha tried.

"You said it yourself, we're not bonded, not really, and even the parts of us that supposedly are we're not even sure it's you." Darcy took a few deep breathe calming herself. "How will you react the first time you get hurt deep enough to bleed and you'll see it reflect on me? You'll be compromised if you stop taking risk, doing what you're the best at just to keep me from bleeding." She told her quickly she hadn't even realize she felt that way before. "It's for the best Agent Romanov, I would never forgive myself if…" she shut herself up but glanced at the door.

"He is easy to adopt." Natasha told her pulling Darcy's hair out of her face gently, and she was surprise to see herself smiling in the mirror.

"What if Coulson and the Red Room are right? What if I…?" Darcy couldn't finish she didn't even know what she wanted to explain.

"What if you saved us?" Clint said from the threshold. If Darcy was surprised, Natasha didn't even move.

"I didn't, Phil did." Darcy snapped.

"From what I've heard you saved him from being discharged for PTSD after his injury, you're the one who send him to me, you told us about the other one even though no other adults would believe you so we found Natasha, looks like Phil did the work but you're still the one who saved us." Clint had stepped toward them and took Darcy in his arms when she started crying.

"What about Tony?" She asked amused.

"Well if it helps I didn't kill him, and that should count for something." Natasha pipped out, but Clint shushed her.

"Stark only agreed to work with SHIELD after Phil told him about you, without SHIELD he would have died from the Palladium Poising." Clint put in.

"Yeah I am not sure babysitting, should count as saving a life." Natasha joked. "And for what it's worth since Clint found me we've been trying to reverse whatever the Red Room did to me so I could find you, I don't know if it'll ever work but I am not giving up. They don't get to win."

Darcy padded her eyes with cold water and they all went back to the table, dessert had been brought and apparently Clint had went to retrieve the waffles she had brought with them from the car while she was talking to Natasha.

"Darcy!" she stopped her fork mid-way to her mouth in case she needed to answer something. "Don't ever call me Agent Romanov again." Natasha told her strictly.

"I can totally do that." Darcy answered before eating her waffles smiling.

By the end of lunch, she knew more about their lives, she had to stop an attempted to stab Natasha, from Natasha herself, and Clint from kicking her under the table hard enough to bruise. She told her she didn't care she could wait and she could cut them off if they didn't stop, playing the poor little girl card.

"I am going to end up with Stark for only bond." She told them sighing when she spotted Clint's knife back on the table. They were the best spies SHIELD had according to both Phil and Clint, both damned specialists, they were clearly playing her, she shouldn't be able to stop them.

Tasha, she had told her to call her that, only Clint and Darcy could, she felt privileged for once, took the Stark jet after two hours, heading toward Washington apparently, Clint had to go back to base and drove her back to Puente Antiguo, taking the time to come inside to check on Jane and Erik, making sure they knew they could ask the agents if they ever needed anything, including groceries since the store market had been destroyed.

Later that night she received a text from Tasha just checking in, than another more like what she had been expecting all day.

 _Tasha: He went to the worst places on Earth to find you. DO NOT HURT HIM._

The next day, Phil came by to ask if she had enjoyed her time with Clint and Natasha, he didn't threaten her directly but when he left she had the clear feeling that he had done it. She was happy to know they had become so close, defending and protecting each other, they were safe together.

Over the next few days, Clint made regular appearances, at the Lab, never asking how the researches were going, never coming on SHIELD business. If he came in the mornings, they would eat breakfast all together and he would get to know Jane and Erik, then they would take a walk or go grocery shopping, talking, before he had to go back to work. On afternoons, he would come with a laptop to do paperwork, his bow to show off then clean it, sometimes they would listen to music sharing earplugs on her miraculously retrieved IPod while working. He was never there in time for dinner, and told her right away that he was always eating with Phil on base to report about the day and debrief over one event or another so she didn't have to save anything for him even if he had told her he would come in later. "Except for dessert" he told her.

He spent a few more nights in her room, he was always coming late, sometimes waking her, sometimes just catching up with whatever she was watching on her computer by cuddling close to her, and she would wake up with either a kiss on the top of her hair if it wasn't too early in the morning so she could say goodbye before he left or a note stuck on one of her bears if he had to leave in the middle of the night.

In the three weeks since Thor left, they rarely had a full day apart from each other, and if it happened Clint would always text to tell her, he wouldn't be able to make it to town. She never went to the base, Agent Coulson wouldn't allow it. Phil had come with Clint for a few breakfast and drove her to Roswell, to go on a hunt for a tool Jane had misplaced and needed to be replaced. He had been helpful, especially since she had no idea what the specific key Jane had asked for looked like. They could be good friends, if he would just stop trying to pitch SHIELD to her, even as a game to rally her up.

Erik had been asked to supervise a project for SHIELD for a while, Jane and Darcy had tried to argue but whatever they had told him, he was too curious to let the opportunity pass him. Darcy had been less than please when Clint and Phil both came to tell her they were going as well, Sitwell was going to take over their protection for the time being, Phil was needed back at Washington, and even with his walls back up she could feel his excitement about it, wondering what was waiting for him there, Clint was going to an undisclosed destination but he would be with Erik. Which meant both men were going to share the 'no communication' policy for a while.

"I'll be able to talk to Tasha." He told her and she pouted like the mature adult she was. "Don't do that Darce." He complained "She'll text you."

"You mean like passing notes in class? I never did that." She said smiling. Phil heard and looked at her, he didn't look happy about it but he looked like he knew already so she wasn't going to add anything.

"Me neither, might be fun!" He said pulling her into a hug. "No funny business while I am gone." He whispered into her hair putting his signature kiss on the top of her head.

"It's not like I planned Thor's visit to Earth." Darcy argued halfheartedly, and she felt Clint chuckling against her. "I'll be fine." She told him getting herself out of his arms. "Don't get shot, or I'll send Tasha to kick your ass."

They parted ways and that night when SHIELD's agents came by to pick up Erik she only waved at him from the inside of the Lab, she wouldn't have been able to restrain herself from hugging him if she had gotten out, and right now even if he answered her wave he was "Specialist Barton, elite agent of SHIELD", not her… personnel pillow, paperwork buddy, assistant chef? Whatever… Not the point.

With both Erik and Clint gone, Jane and Darcy focused entirely on work. Darcy realized she had been lacking a little on the data recording part and took 2 days straight to type everything in, even though Jane kept telling her it didn't really matter, SHIELD had all their data saved already. And yes, she should really tell her boss about the second safeguard, so she took Jane on a girls night out to Roswell, choose a bar loaded with people, made sure their bodyguards where far enough and told her dirty little secret to Jane by whispering it in her ear folding her hand over her mouth, you can never be too careful with secrets. Jane was so proud of her, she bought their drinks all night, and they were so drunk the agents had to drive them back to their beds. ' _Sometimes secret agencies could be really helpful'_ she thought in the morning when she found their van in its usual parking space.

Since SHIELD had to approve any inquiry to other scientists over Jane's research they were not really progressing. They were provided with access to secret satellites, to space programs Intel, in addition to their own data, but Jane needed other scientists to bounce off ideas with. Darcy started learning everything she could get her hands on, and sometimes it helped, but mostly she was good at distracting Jane from her work so she could come back to it with a clearer mind. Jane never minded, she liked Darcy's interruptions, they took turn talking about their lives before Thor, theorizing on what could keep the God away, like they would have done for any boyfriend disappearing without a note, it made him more palpable for the both of them. They wondered briefly if Heimdall would be able to see it if they went to wrote a quick text for Thor in the sand near the landing site, but gave up on the idea.

The duet quickly got fed up of their constant escort, it was more discreet now, they didn't know exactly how many men Sitwell was left with, and never actually met the man in question when Phil had spent so much time with them in comparison. New agents were coming and going, probably getting send to places they were actually needed for as they were slowly all replace by baby agents, younger than Darcy for some, just out of training. She already had to use her Taser on three of them in the last week, and the next one to disrespect Jane would be threaten with Tasha's wrath it might be more efficient.

The red head spy had texted her every other day, sometimes just to talk in between missions sometimes with news of Clint, she complained a few times about childish behavior but never missed to transmit their messages to each other anyway.

The summer was quickly coming to an end and Darcy was getting more nervous as the days passed, Jane would be left alone, or send to a SHIELD base, maybe they could convince them she needed to stay in Puente Antiguo and SHIELD needed to send scientists here instead of moving Jane around. But none of them was stupid, even Jane was ready to admit that she wouldn't find anything more here, she was only staying in the little destroyed town waiting for Thor.

Darcy on her part wasn't exactly vibrating with excitement at the idea of having to be back at Culver in a few days. She kept telling herself that she only had one more year then she could found, Jane or Sharon again, maybe even go spend some time with her mother and her baby sister, move to Washington to be there when ever Clint would be at HQ, and Tasha too of course. Maybe she could join SHIELD that would make Phil happy, she had thought on of her many dark nights.

Since Clint had left a month before she hadn't been able to sleep an entire night without dreaming about Thor, the Warrior Three, Sif and more over the Destroyer. Nightmares in which she didn't have time to get out of the pet shop before it exploded, of Thor not waking up as Mjolnir landed next to him and Loki deciding to punish the Warrior Three and Sif by burning them and whatever was left of the town with them, of Jane kidnapped and brought to Asgard by the Destroyer. Every night a new one and she wasn't ever able to save any of them. How could Tasha and Clint convince her that she had save them from a distance but she couldn't save people that were just in front of her? It was the question she kept waking up to, a dreading feeling that someday she wouldn't be able to save the people she loved from danger and they would resent her for it, kept creeping in.

Finally Jane agreed to let SHIELD find an observatory for her, at first she had ask for it to be closer to Culver so Darcy would be able to visit but Darcy disagreed, if she was really going to do it, she needed to be where she had a real shot at find her rainbow bridge and bring back prince charming.

"Plus I want to see the world, visiting you would be a great excuse to go to exotic places." Darcy had told her before leaving with SHIELD agents who were going to escort her back to Culver.

Both women had contacted Agent Coulson directly to ask for Darcy to screen and pre-approve any places or assistant SHIELD would assign Jane since she knew her taste and had more patience with that kind of things. Surprisingly Coulson had agreed, to a certain end. Darcy couldn't choose solely on the list of vacation places she wanted to visit, it needed to be scientific justifiable choices. They agreed to wait a couple of month until the two of them had made a list of necessities and places before moving Jane. And Jane helped Darcy move all the furniture and equipment so she wouldn't face the landing site or the city while working anymore.

Darcy had hoped the agents that had escorted her from New Mexico to her dorm would have magically disappeared by the time she took her first step into her individual room, but that was nothing if not a sweet dream. According to Tasha it would only stop once she wouldn't have access to Jane's research anymore, so as soon as she would have chosen a new place for Jane to work at, new people to help her.

Darcy went to her first day of school, meeting with the Dean about her validated science credits, and the fact that if she was keeping up her grades she was going to be able to graduate as scheduled by the end of the year so she had to look into Grade Schools, not so subtly pushing for law schools. Classes were easy to go back to, solitude, or as much of it she could feel under constant surveillance, was harsher, she hadn't felt this alone since Las Vegas even with the constant beeping of her phone reminding her that she had friends who cared about her.

Maybe she could take a year off, she was going to graduate a year early, she could always tell her mother she wanted to graduate with her friends, she didn't need to know Darcy didn't have any on campus. She would be able to go with Jane around the world, the tiny scientist would never had suggested for her to drop school but she had told her that as soon as the graduation ceremony would be done she would steal her away to come work with her again. Jane had leverage over SHIELD now, she could make Darcy a condition for her working with them.

That's what she was thinking about when it happened, it was sudden, it felt cold, like her heart had frozen from the inside out, and in a second the warm feeling, the constant humming of Clint bond under her skin had disappeared. She felt tears running in her cheeks, she wanted to scream but she had no control over her body. There had been no pain, no doubt, no resentment, just a clean cut, right through her heart.

She knew it, the three spies had made her sign papers about it over the summer, 'in case of death contact forms', she just had to wait and Director Fury would call her tell her, Clint was dead. She wouldn't have any details, only the cold hard truth.

Any minutes…


	11. In the highly improbable case of Aliens

**In the highly improbable case of Aliens Invasion: Survival Guide.**

Darcy couldn't breathe. Her phone in hand, the slow ticking of her fantasist cat clock echoing in her room was keeping her from doing something stupid like call Tasha, she kept counting every passing seconds instead. Her friend was on mission and she might not know yet, she'll be in danger if Darcy told her. She couldn't lose the both of them on the same day.

When her phone rang, Darcy was tempted not to answer, it wasn't an unknown number, it was Phil's personalize 'Star spangled man' ringtone, it wasn't protocol, she deserved for them to respect the protocol. She let it go to voice mail three times before finally answering.

"It's not what the protocol says Phil, I should be on the phone with director Fury, he was supposed to be the one to call me" she started rambling on the phone not giving him a second to explain. "Oh my God, is Fury dead too? Is that why you're the one calling me?"

"Darcy!" Coulson didn't scream, he didn't shout, he was very calm using all the authority his agent's voice could muster. He had never used it on her until now. "Clint is not dead. I repeat he is not dead. Do you understand?" he asked his voice gentler.

"No" she admitted in a whisper.

"Darcy, they are agents at your door right know they are going to stay right where they are until someone comes to get you, it will take a few hours. Natasha will call you back with the name of the agent who will escort you to safety once I get a hold of her." He explained to her taking his time but her mind was still foggy.

"You can't tell her he's dead she is on a mission, she'll get either killed or disappear, you have to wait until you can see her and keep her safe." She started yelling at him.

"Darcy, Clint isn't dead." He repeated over and over until she stopped crying.

"But…" She couldn't find the right words to explain how she felt, empty, cold, broken.

"I promise you, he isn't dead. There was a situation and he was compromised." He explained to her.

"It's my fault I compromise people." Darcy mumble.

"Loki's on Earth he took control over a few agents, manipulating them into following him blindly" he kept talking over her.

"Jane!" She cried out.

"Hey you're back with me!" He joked. "Look Darcy, I can't even imagine how you felt, but I promise he is still very much alive and I don't think Loki took him to kill him, he'll need him." He took a pause. "He took Erik too." He must have prepped himself for a shout because he didn't answer right away when she asked.

"Do you know where they are?" so she repeated herself.

"That's why I called, didn't know you would think he was dead, I was hoping you might be able to help us find him." Phil admitted.

"Sorry! He totally… Puff" she simply answered.

"It's okay, we'll find him." He promised, that was his 'I promise' voice, the same he used when he said he would find popcorn with salt and butter.

"Jane?" she asked calmly this time.

"Already on the move, sorry I can't tell you were we are sending her, you'll see her as soon as Loki's been dealt with" again the promising voice. Agent Coulson didn't promise things he wasn't sure he could make happen, that much she knew about him.

"I have to call Natasha, you can't leave your room until she tells you it's safe Darcy." He was really bad at giving her orders for a handler, he'll always see her as the 10 years old little girl who used to send unicorns through his nightmares.

"No leaving my room, No complaining about the agents at my door, No talking to anyone who isn't you or Tasha, or Stark" She knew Jane wouldn't call her they would put her in a never landing plane if they had to.

"No Clint until you hear from someone else that it's safe, Darcy it's really important, he might try to contact you do not answer until either Natasha, Fury, Hill or I tell you that it's safe." Phil was worrying.

"But what if…" Darcy wanted to believe that if Loki took him away maybe he could come back just as suddenly.

"No Darcy. Not until we say so, you have to promise me." He insisted.

"I don't know if you noticed Phil but I'm not 10 anymore." She had a father, she didn't know him but she didn't need another one either way.

"I know someone noticed." He said lightly and she stocked her tongue out even though he couldn't see it on the phone.

"Darcy?" He asked.

"Yeah okay no Clint even if the bond comes back until someone says it's safe." She took a deep breath for the first time in what seems like forever, Clint wasn't dead, Clint was still alive. "But Phil, if it's not to tell me he's dead Fury can't be the one to call me, I can't go through that again."

"Roger that. Natasha should call you in a few hours try to sleep." He told her before hanging up.

6 hours 23 minutes 35 seconds and about 5 coffees. That's how much time it took Tasha to call her, she had been out of coffee after the 4th hour but she had promise Phil not to nag at her escort, she tried taking a bath since she was fortunate enough to have a bathtub but she kept fidgeting splashing water everywhere, she tidied her room and Clint was sooooo going to pay for that, because she had put a lot of effort into making the place look like it's been lived in instead of being where she had ended up only a week prior, she had read some of her classes books but nothing was registering in her brain.

Finally her phone rang, an unknown number, could be Tasha she never had her personnel phone with her on mission, but it could be Clint too. That's why SHIELD had so many protocols, the phone rang 3 times before hanging up, than 1 time before hanging up again.

"Tasha." She finally answered.

"Darcy, I'll find him." She told her, "even if I have to kick his ass all the way back to you"

"He said you would do that when we first talked." Darcy laughed for the first time in days she realized. If someone could bring him back it was Tasha.

"Listen I don't have much time, I have to convince someone who can find something Loki stole to Help." Tasha's explanation were always so clear and simple.

"Well that's not at all mysterious." Darcy told her.

"I try." Tasha joked.

"Agent Coulson said you'll have info for me, people I should trust, places to be, coffee hopefully."

"I'll tell her to bring coffee." Tasha said "Agent 13, should be at your door in about 15 min make it 25 if she stops for coffee on the way, she'll know where to drive you, under no circumstances will you get out of her sight, and you'll give her your phone as soon as she'll get there." Tasha ordered.

"You're worse than Coulson" Darcy pouted, her phone had games, entertainment.

"Don't go with anyone else and don't let anyone else in the car with the two of you." Tasha continued.

"How am I supposed to know that she is who she says she is?" Darcy asked.

"You'll know." She answered omnisciently. "Be safe and I'll bring him back to you, okay?" she said more friendly, more Tasha less Agent Romanov.

"Be safe." Darcy told her before Tasha hung up. SHIELD needed to teach their agents proper phone etiquette.

15 minutes later on the dot, Darcy's door open, no one had even grazed her door in 7 hours, she grabbed Sparky from under her pillow and pointed it at the intruder.

"Sharon?" Darcy asked incredulous. She was so tired she was having hallucination.

"Darcy, you need to pack up, essentials only" her hallucination told her handing her a coffee for that little place they liked on the way between college and their apartment. Her Hallucination was really thorough.

"Darcy! Stop staring and move your ass." Sharon spanked her.

"Agent 13!" Darcy snapped but moved along.

"Sorry, we'll talk about it on the way." Sharon really looked contrite.

"Where are we going?" Darcy asked.

"Not here." Sharon was helping pack if she wasn't helping with the enigma.

"Did Tasha teach you her annoying thing? Because it doesn't suit you." Darcy told her.

"Darcy, we don't have time for this now. Are you going to trust me or not?" Sharon already had her phone in hands ready to make a call to be replaced if Darcy couldn't trust her.

"Don't call! I'll go with you but I am doing it for Tasha not for you! Is your name even really Sharon?" Darcy asked on the way to the car.

Once inside Sharon asked for her phone.

"Back to burner I see." She commented. "Good take this one instead" she said handing her the latest Starkphone.

Darcy looked at her, staring for a long time before taking the phone. "So you're one of the 5"she stated.

"What?" Sharon sputtered.

"Coulson, he said 5 SHIELD agents knew about my bonds, you're one of them." Darcy explained.

"I guess, I figured out about Coulson when he asked me to keep an eye on you when you moved into my dorm, from stories Aunt Peggy had told me, about bonded agents, I figured out about Clint and Natasha and they told me about Stark when they called asking me to pick up the phone before I'll get you." Sharon was telling her story as she used to speak about her family work.

"Wait you mean…" Darcy stopped to think about it a little.

"Ask whatever you want Darcy" Sharon prompted her.

"Is your entire family SHIELD related?" Darcy asked first.

"No!" she laughed "I can't believe I have to tell you that, Darcy you met my great aunt like 4 times."

"Yeah Aunt Peggy, what about her?"

"Think about it for a while." Sharon told her and Darcy looked at the roadside by the window trying to figure out what she should have already figure out.

"You're Aunt Peggy is Margaret "Peggy" Carter! The one from Captain America's history lessons!" she suddenly screamed, remembering the woman from Phil's flash, her voice was hoarse and her head foggy. "Did I fell asleep?" she said wincing at the taste of cold coffee on her tongue.

"A couple of hours yes." Sharon admitted "you needed it, but hey good news you finally figured out my family's secret."

Darcy wanted to sulk but Sharon was right it took her way too much time to figure that one out.

"Was I just a mission?" she asked shyly. Sharon looked at her angrily, parked the car on the side of the road and turned to look at her.

"How can you even ask that? My mission was to look after you make sure you didn't end up kidnap, didn't get in jail, didn't drink too much at a frat party, it was basically my job as floor manager anyway, becoming your friend was never part of the mission and I stopped telling them anything not vital after that first night." She explained angrily.

"You said I could ask anything." Darcy reminded her. "And FYI, Agent 13, you're scaring me right now."

"Sorry I just…" Sharon shook herself out of her angry stance and turned back to Darcy with her usual smile. "I don't have that many friends, even among the agents because of the Legacy thing, I have to prove myself constantly and…"

"It's okay I get it." Darcy told her feeling better "I just needed to be sure I could trust you." Sharon nodded.

"What was that about legacy? Sounded like more than 'my father is an agent' kind of thing." Darcy asked.

"Peggy founded SHIELD, with Howard Stark among others, but even without that, SHIELD is a spy agency, all male, all the time, so much testosterone." Sharon complained lightly.

"My super-spies didn't give me 'History of SHIELD' lesson, but I saw and tased enough agents to get the testosterone thing. Tasha's a bad ass though, and Hill is deputy director so female still matter." She tried to joke.

"Yeah." Sharon smirked. "Peggy recruited Fury, she would haunt him forever if he was favoring male agents based on genetics."

"Sharon?" Darcy whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?" she wanted to know if she was really going to be safe.

"Stark Tower." Sharon told her.

"It's a 7 hours drive." Darcy snapped. She'll need to pee and she promised to never leave Sharon's line of sight, they might have slept in the same bed for months but their friendship had limits she didn't want to cross.

"More like 18." Sharon retorted. Darcy looked at the sign on the side of the road. "But we already did almost 3"

"Wait, I thought Stark Tower was in New York why are we heading south?" Darcy panicked.

"We have someone else to bring with us, Agent Romanov's orders." Sharon told her almost sounding like Agent Coulson.

"She told me not to let anyone else get in the car." Darcy retorted.

"She told me to drive you there and let you decide." Darcy was doubtful, but she had trusted Sharon before and the agent would protect her.

"Where are we going?" she asked again.

"Charlotte." Darcy sighed.

"Do you have snacks? And will you let me drive?" Darcy resigned herself.

"Yes and no way you don't even have a driving license." Sharon grinned at her shocked expression.

"You let me drive before, and I drove every day in New Mexico." Darcy protested.

"It's one of Stark's car." Sharon told her as if it was nothing. Darcy looked around her, the car didn't look extremely luxurious, and it was simply black, but now she was noticing the deep purple leather soft under her palm, the high hand technology, the amazing sound the motor was making.

 _If I may Agent 13, you'll find a gas station in 20 miles, the restroom had just been cleaned it might be more pleasant._

Darcy jumped at the soft British voice.

 _Sir says to put anything you need on the card Agent gave you._

"Thank you JARVIS and thank Mister Stark for us." Sharon said as if talking to the car was perfectly normal before laughing.

"Darcy Lewis meet JARVIS. JARVIS is Stark AI, he basically run everything for him. He is more secret than you." Sharon explained.

"JARVIS." Darcy simply said.

 _It's a pleasure to finally meet you Miss Lewis, Sir and Miss Potts are pleased to offer you their house and asked me to assure you, you'll be safe there._

"Hum, Thanks."

"You'll get used to it." Sharon assured her.

"I hope so."

Darcy started playing with the console, trying to find out how to change the music, the AC setting, anything to keep her occupied.

 _Do you require any assistant Miss Lewis?_

"No Jarvis. It's cool. I am just bored." A panel opened in what Darcy had assumed was the glove compartment.

 _A movie might disturb Agent 13 from her driving but perhaps I can interest you in a game._

"Against you?" Darcy asked surprised.

 _Yes indeed, unless you would rather play solitary games. I am afraid you're not currently allowed to use internet interfaces but I could entertain you._

"Don't you have other car to run? Or a house? Do you run the tower?"

 _I can do all that and more and still take time to play or answer your question Miss Lewis._

"Can you drop the Miss Lewis? Only people from the social services ever called me Miss Lewis."

There was a light pause, as if the AI was thinking about it.

 _Would you prefer Darcy?_

"Hey! How is that fair?" Sharon protested "I've been asking you to stop calling me Agent 13 since I got into this car."

 _That specific protocol is pending Miss Lewis safely arrival at the tower._

"You were right I like him." Darcy grinned.

 _The gas station will be on your right in 20 seconds_

"If I had known rescuing you involved dealing with Stark I'd ask a big favor of Natasha instead of volunteering." Sharon told her while parking the car. "I would have done it either way but at least I'd got something out of it."

 _Sir says: "If Darcy gets here without a scratch she can keep the car"._

"JARVIS, is he listening in on us?" Darcy asked self-conscious, she hadn't even met him yet.

 _Not at all. I was simply quoting an earlier conversation Sir had with Agent Romanov._

"Good to know" they both said at the same time, and started laughing.

"JARVIS is keeping us safe in the car, what if something happens inside the station?" Darcy suddenly didn't want to pee that much anymore, she could still feel the cold missing piece inside of her, she needed all the safety net she could get.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Sharon said rolling her eyes. "JARVIS is on your phone." She rummaged through her bag on the back seat and found a little box, "here put this in your ear and you'll be able to talk to him without taking your phone out." she showed Darcy her own device in her left ear. "He monitors the cameras for me."

Darcy put the ear piece in and immediately heard JARVIS' voice in her ear, reassured she followed Sharon to the restroom.

"I don't care what Tasha said, I am not peeing in front of you." Darcy told her going in.

Sharon rolled her eyes check to see if they were alone and let Darcy enter one of the stall before getting into her own. "Just don't get out before me." she informed her.

They went back to the car, and the rest of the road to Charlotte was spend between cat naps and some games with JARVIS for Darcy and a battle of wits between JARVIS and Sharon.

They were supposed to meet their second passenger into a bar, JARVIS informed them that there were no video system inside so Sharon asked Darcy to stay in the car. She was only gone for 5 minute when she came back, a tall woman with long dark brown hair concealing her face. Once they were close enough Darcy recognized her.

"Oh by Thor! Betty!" She tried to get out of the car to join them but JARVIS had locked her in. When he judged that Agent 13 was close enough he finally released her, Darcy pushed herself out of the car and into Betty's arms. "You're you and you're here. And..." She glanced toward Sharon "Is that Coffee?"

"Glad to see where you priorities are." Betty joked.

"Come on get in the car I want to know everything." She said pushing both of them toward the car.

JARVIS didn't talk openly into the passenger compartment and asked Darcy to keep his presence quiet on her earpiece.

Betty explained how Natasha had kept her away from her father by moving her from women shelters to safe houses all over the country, she had only been in Charlotte for a few hours when the call came in. And Darcy explained how she was Darcy not Max.

"Did you know that Iron Man was in Stuttgart? Apparently something to do with a men in a green armor." Betty asked them.

"Thought I told you to keep off the internet?" Sharon hissed.

"It was on the news at the bar. It was kind of hard to miss." Betty answered.

Darcy knew better than to ask question she wouldn't have answers to. She was feeling so tired anyway, to many emotions, to many people, in the car, under her skin, the tension was unbearable. She felt asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

"Nooooooooooo!" She screamed when she woke up. "No! No! No! No! No!" she kept saying until Sharon had stopped the car. "I need to..." Darcy was having a hard time opening her seat belt, so JARVIS did it for her.

 _Darcy your heart beat is too elevated and you have difficulty breathing, the car sensor don't detect any injuries. Please remain in the car until your vitals are back to normal._

But Darcy didn't listen, she couldn't even hear him over her pounding heart, pulsating in her ears, she was vaguely aware of Betty and Sharon trying to keep her in the car, but she need to get out she needed air, she need to not throw up on Tony's leather.

JARVIS finally opened Darcy's door and she stumbled outside falling on her knees, she was crying so hard that she couldn't even see her own hands. Someone other than JARVIS was talking in her ears and lightly caressing her back.

She could hear Sharon telling her how sorry she was, and Betty telling her to take deep breath and to hold them in. But mostly she could feel her own body draining all the restlessness, worrisome, dorkiness that was all Phil, it was taking him away piece by piece while simultaneously filling up with love, gentleness and compassion and everything that screamed Clint at her. She couldn't process both at once it was too much pain and so little happiness that it was not enough to balance the heart wrecking feeling of losing Phil. Phil was right, feeling someone dying had nothing to do with what she had felt when Loki took Clint away. The grief and angry feeling coming from the other 3 at once and colliding with her own was too much for her.

She must have passed out because she woke up safely tucked under covers on the back seat, Betty was on the front seat listening to the news, they were talking about an attack on NY. Aliens were invading and Iron Man and a group of unidentified people were battling against them. The point of origin seem to come from a portal opened above Stark Tower.

"So much for our safe heaven." Darcy sighed.

Internally she was a mess of feelings, she could feel a compression on her left ankle, so Tasha must be hurt. She put her hand in her forehead to put her hair away but felt the familiar feeling of blood. Stark was feeling guilty and tired, Clint was angry at himself but relieved to be back.

"Betty you mind patching me up?" She asked.

"Idiots" Betty mumbled before turning toward her with wide eyes.

"Yeah but they are my idiots." She sighed.

"Don't take all the credit Darcy, one of them is mine." Betty joked before getting out of the car, contouring it so she could come near Darcy's head.

"How do you feel?" She asked while looking into the med kit for some swipes and a bandage. "Of course it's Stark's car all the bandages have Iron Man on them." she said rolling her eyes.

"Sad but better, in control again. And I don't mind the Iron Man bandages." she grinned at her. If Betty was meant to follow them to Stark Tower or where ever, Sharon who she could see was on the phone, would find for them to be safe, she might as well know the all truth.

But like all the scientist in her life, Betty was totally clueless and just cleaned and wrapped her head wound.

A few minutes later a jet appeared out of nowhere, it was weird looking and when it opened up Darcy tucked Betty against her and asked JARVIS to close the door. A few more seconds and Sharon appeared with a new man alongside her she knocked on the door and JARVIS opened the window.

"Darcy, this agent Ward, Dr Ross I believe you two already met. He is our new ride." she stated.

"Tasha said no strangers." Darcy recited.

"That's why Fury sent Ward, Betty knows him." Sharon nodded toward Betty.

"He gave me ride to the airport. I mean he was nice and polite but I wouldn't say I know him. No offense." she said to Ward.

"None taken." He answered swiftly.

"Look Darcy, I don't know how to pilot that thing" she pointed at the jet. "Fury wants to make sure you'll both be safe before he gets a hoard of angrier Avengers up his ass, so get on the freaking Quinjet."

 _Darcy, sir would like for you to follow Agent 13. I concur, you have a higher chance of being safe on the SHIELD Hellicarrier._

"What the hell is a Hellicarrier?" Darcy shout out accidentally.

"Want to come and see for yourself?" Sharon grinned at her like the Cheshire Cat.

"Yeah Okay, you got me, let's move to the Quinjet." Darcy agreed hushing Betty out of the car. "What about Stark's car?"

 _Someone will come pick it up shortly._

"Okay, cool" Darcy said out loud totally disregarding the weird glances and crooked eyebrows from Betty and Ward.

Ward got them out in the air quickly, the Quinjet interior was military based, a few straps, and parachutes, a closed computer and in the corner medical equipment. They had been flying for an hour and Darcy was getting restless, she wanted to get her mind out of her body, of all those conflicted feelings she still had. Sharon was telling Betty that they didn't have direct reliable info on their partners though for now Darcy didn't care very much about the lack of Intel on her bond mates, she had bigger problems at hands.

"Betty" Darcy hissed, she couldn't breathe anymore, not like before when her body wouldn't breathe but like all the oxygen in the Quinjet had been taken away and whatever she did she couldn't have air any in her lunges.

She could feel Betty try to pump oxygen into her to no effect, both Ward and Sharon were shouting in the cockpit. Her head hurt as she was slowly but painfully falling asleep, her last thought had been.

" _I am going to freaking kill Stark_."

She felt a surge of oxygen in her lunges, on her tongue, rolling on her veins, getting to her foggy brain. She wasn't dead. She was feeling weird though and something in her mouth was keeping her from breathing or talking. She started to panic but Betty stopped her from touching her face.

"Back with us?" Betty asked but it wasn't really a question. "I am going to take the tube out but don't try to swallow and don't push against it, you're going to gag it's normal."

She took the tube out and Darcy felt like throwing up and would certainly have if she had anything left in her.

"ETA 15 min." Ward said from behind her. "Fury says to drop you all of at the Triskelion, he'll bring you to Stark from there."

"So much for Tasha careful plan, of no extra passenger, no talking to strangers, no getting into places that don't exist." Darcy mockingly complained, and she could hear Ward mumbling.

"Who the hell are they?" to Sharon.

She wanted to laugh so badly but every part of her body hurt.

"Betty, it hurts there." she said encompassing her all body and Betty finally smiled.

"How sure are you that you're the one hurting? I don't want to give you anything if it's not coming from you." Betty reasoned.

Darcy thought about it but she couldn't be sure, her head hurt from the lack of oxygen so Betty gave her a cannula and a little bottle of oxygen they had on board, her ribs hurt from CPR but it would go away, Betty hadn't broken or fractured any of them. Since she couldn't be certain Darcy told Betty to forget about it.

They landed swiftly and the trap opened, before she could say anything about Tasha's security protocols a tall black bold man, with a long leather coat and an eyepatch entered the jet. She recognized him from Phil's flash a few weeks back.

"Agent Ward, you're dismissed."

"Director" Ward saluted swiftly before exiting the plane.

"Miss Lewis are you feeling better?" Fury asked and she put all her energy on not making pirate jokes.

"I was promised a Hellicarrier if I got on the jet. I am disappointed." She told him while taking his offered hand to help lift her up the floor.

"Sorry, the Avengers are bringing Loki to the Hellicarrier so he could be brought here as soon as we leave, maybe next time." Fury seemed genuinely sorry which made her even more curious.

"Can I see Phil?" She asked tentatively.

"I..." Fury was clearly surprised by her question. "He is still on the Hellicarrier."

"And what about the others?" She asked glancing at Betty.

"Dr Banner and the rest of the Avengers will be at the Tower later tonight, if you want to follow me, medical would like to check on you, Agent Ward was pretty intense about your episode on the com." Fury gestured toward a door leading outside of the Quinjets garage.

"No!" Darcy stopped and glared at him. "With all due respect sir, I am not going to medical, tell whatever you like to Agent Ward about what happened, but they all made sacrifice to keep my secret I am not going to tell theirs because one of your agent got scared, not today, not ever. You wanted to escort me to the Avengers, who I assume are the people who just defeated aliens, personally I am here. I'll go to the tower and nowhere else."

She heard Sharon coughing, but it was her fake 'you forgot something' caught, she turn toward her and Sharon was playing with her hair.

"Oh yeah, we need to shower first and maybe put on some clothes I didn't throw up and slept in for the past 24 hours." She started following him to a door marked decontamination shower. Well she said she wouldn't leave the garage. She got into the room when he hold the door and Sharon and Betty both followed her inside with the bag they had took from the car.

"Oh and Director." She said getting his attention again. "I want to know what happened to my people. All of them." she instead on that last part making sure Fury knew what she meant.

45 min later, showered, changed, hair and teeth brushed and Sharon little speech about how no one talk to Fury like that ever done with. She said good bye to Sharon, with a promise of girls' night, thanking her for coming to get her. She took a seat in a helicopter, with Betty beside her and Fury in the pilot seat, JARVIS was keeping her informed on the wellbeing of the team, apparently they were out for shawarmas, whatever that was so they should all be fine. Fury had provided her with a tablet and footages from the NY fight. He had explained to her in private where Jane was and what happened to Phil and she had cried on Betty's shoulder for 10 minutes before they had been able to get her to focus on seeing Clint and Tasha.


	12. Anthony Tony Edward Stark: Genius, Bil

**Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark: Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, Broken.**

Waking up from his fall down the sky had been a nice surprise, knowing that no matter how much his body hurt him they still had work to do, was a lesser than bad one. He appreciated the save from Hulk and would pester his new friend about it until the end of time, but if the searing pain in his upper body and the indent on the suit was any indication, playing catch with Mean Green wasn't the healthiest thing he had done today, and he went into space.

They took the easiest pass toward Loki, Agent Romanov was already on top of the tower, Agent Barton had joined her jogging the steps to the penthouse while she was closing the portal, Thor flew Capsicle to the landing pad and Hulk only had to jump twice only slightly damaging more parts of Tony's all new building, but since he was lifting him up to the penthouse, the battery for the suit too low to manage flying right now, he didn't complain too much.

Loki, faced with angry/tired Avengers, gave up peacefully asking for a drink he would not get. They had to wait 15 min for Fury to send a Quinjet to get them back on the Hellicarrier. Tony thought about the irony of it all, it only took 4 min for them to send a missile toward Manhattan but they needed 15 min to come retrieve their wayward criminal? What kind of security agency were they? They were not all needed to escort Loki back to the carrier but they all wanted to make sure that none of them would be forced to stay on it and maybe even join Loki in lock up.

Unfortunately for Hill, Fury had left her alone to deal with pissed of Avengers, like a true gentleman he was. She knew how to stand her ground and had immediately disagreed to the idea of any of them leaving the carrier. They needed medical attentions, debriefing, quarantine, according to her, and nothing they could say seemed to sway her. Maybe Fury had been smart leaving them to deal with her, he was a softy under all his leather he would have agreed to them leaving at the first mention of Phil, but she wouldn't bulge.

"The Tesseract is still at the tower." Tony suddenly said. "Rhodey and Pepper will be there soon, I had Jarvis calling them on the way here." Everyone was looking at him, puzzled for some, disapproving on Hill's part, but what made him smirk was the little nod Agent Romanov gave him. "I am not giving it back, from what I gathered it's Thor's to do what he pleases with and I can assure you that it would not be for you to keep testing it."

"I agree with the Man of Iron." Thor said.

"As far as I am concern it's still Stark's property anyway." at her crooked eyebrow he grinned at Hill. "Did you think I wouldn't check in my father's archive? He gave it to..." He stopped to look at Captain America, the man had only been back from being frosted for a little over a month and he had already paled when Tony had mentioned his father, "the director at the condition that it would be kept locked up and wouldn't be tested. You failed at both condition there for it falls back into my care."

He dismissed the questions he could see forming in his team mates heads. "The tower isn't safe for it to be left alone in it even under JARVIS' care, so we need to go back."

"Fine" Hill finally agreed glaring at him. "Take Thor with you and go back to your tower, Stark."

"I knew this was too easy." Tony sighed.

"Madam with all due respect, we are all going to go back to the tower." Hill looked surprised at the Captain disagreeing with a direct order.

"Captain Rogers, there are protocols." She tried.

"SHIELD's protocols almost killed all of us and the entire island of Manhattan, surely more. Stark just flew to Space because of your protocols." He got his voice lower and deeper with each words almost making him believe he had actually done something good for once.

"At least go to medical, you're all bleeding on my carrier." She finally said.

"I'll patch them up at the Tower. You have what I'll need right?" Banner asked Tony.

"Yeah there is a med room on each floor we can figure something out." Tony affirmed.

They all stood up starting to follow Tony and Bruce as they were cataloguing what they would need to patch up mostly Natasha, Clint and Tony since Hulk, the God and the super soldier didn't really need help healing up.

"Agent Barton is staying here, he has to be quarantined and questioned." Hill suddenly said her voice calm and cold.

Natasha and Steve both put themselves between Clint and Hill but she wasn't budging.

"It's okay guys I need to stay." Clint told them and tried to get back toward Hill.

Bruce put his hand on the archer's shoulder and stirred him behind himself and Tony, Thor getting behind them now. "He's coming with us." Bruce told her, in a voice approaching more Hulk's one than his. Hill left the room talking to someone probably their ride on her comm.

After a quick thanks on the way to the Quinjet, Clint followed them without protesting too much. Tony took the commands of the Quinjet, landing it away from his tower, SHIELD wouldn't move near the tower and he had promise shawarma to the Avengers anyway.

"So did you think about it?" he asked once the jet was back into the air once more. Everybody was looking at him strangely. He had the propensity of picking up a conversation where he left it even days after, they'll have to keep up. "The shawarma people? Who wants to eat some?"

"What about the Tesseract?" Captain Rogers wondered.

"It's perfectly safe with JARVIS." Tony told them. Steve and Thor clearly doubted him but Bruce was smiling and the spies were smirking. "Come on Cap, you really thought I would have left the tower if anyone could just come in and take it?" Tony didn't get any answers from that so he asked about dinner again.

He got an enthusiastic response from Cap and Thor, those two must eat their own weight with each meal to keep in shape, a measured smile from Bruce, a twin shrug from the super-spies. Way to show your appreciation people.

"I could eat" Clint finally admitted.

He did a quick check he would have preferred to ask JARVIS but the suit was back at the tower and his phone didn't have the kind of scans he needed right now, he was going to have to remedy to that.

"Okay, who needs to be patched up before the meal?" he needed to make a quick survey. They looked over each other, anxious but no one came forward. "No? No one? Okay then let's go eat."

Their meal had been slow, savoring whatever it was supposed to be in silence, all of them needing to let go of the pent up adrenaline while taking in much needed calories. When they finally came back to the Tower, Tony told them to make themselves at home drink his booze take showers, get patched up whatever they needed while he was going to check on the Tesseract.

He went down a flight of stairs to his personal lab not surprise to watch as You was hovering over the glass box he had told JARVIS to put the Tesseract in. Tony hated this thing. Not just because it had almost killed him but because even after he had seemingly given up on finding Cap his father had still been obsessed by the ridicule glowing cube that had been the reason of his friend's demise. Howard had even been so far as to blame the Tesseract for the genetic modification that created the bonds.

 _"No Hank, I was wrong" Howard sighed, hand in his head at his desk._

 _"That's a first" Hank answered amused. "I have to hear this, go on"_

 _"The Tesseract can't be the cause of it." Howard stated._

 _"But we spend the last 10 years..." Hank had started to explain._

 _"Hank, Tony grew up over this thing all this life and he doesn't have any mark not even to share with his parents. I am telling you we are going at it all wrong." Howard said._

 _Tony didn't hear the rest of that story, his mother had send him to the lab to see if Dr Hank and his father would care for some coffee, but now wasn't the time for his father to see him. Tony had just deceived his dad once again, even his letter from MIT hadn't cut the deal. Why couldn't he grow those marks like some of his friends at school, over the years, had, so his father would be able to test them on him and maybe cure everyone, he would be a bigger hero than Captain America and Tony would be his Bucky._

After that the Tesseract had left the house, he had hoped forever after his father had yet another incident after touching it the wrong way making a hole in one of the mansion's wall.

Tony absentmindedly petted You entranced by the glowing blue light.

 _Sir! Colonel Fury is requesting permission to land on the helipad._

Great just what he needed now, he was probably there to take his agents back to SHIELD and he was in no mood to fight for what was right again.

 _I think you're going to be please by his passengers Sir._

"Fine. JARVIS tell him it's okay. ETA?" Tony asked looking for something to do in his shop, anything not to be the one to tell Fury to shove it.

 _20min. Sir Miss Potts and Colonel Rhodes just joined the Avengers._

"Ah finally." he said with a glee, forgetting about Fury and trailing back to the penthouse.

He had told Pepper about Phil's death as soon as he got her on the phone, after telling her he didn't die of course, so he wasn't really surprise to find out that she was still crying, even if it was in Agent Romanov's arms.

"Tones, don't ever do that to us again." he find himself engulf into Rhodey's strong arms. "You should have called, I would have help. War Machine isn't just for show you know?"

"Last time you helped we almost got killed. I haven't changed all of those Hammer's weapons from my beautiful suit yet." Tony told him while walking away toward Pepper.

"I could have fly, be your eyes in the air." Rhodey protested.

"We had Legolas for that." Tony smiled as Clint was chastised by the Captain for making an obscene gesture in front of a lady. Yeah Pepper.

"We heard Fury is coming" Clint stated, "at least I got a good meal before quarantine I guess."

"You're not going anywhere." Pepper growled, even in tears in his arms she was still terrifyingly efficient. "You and Dr Selvig had been released under Stark Industries care for all procedure or testing over your interaction with the Tesseract as it is protected patented technology."

Clint looked surprised. While Bruce laughed. "Where did you find the time to patent it?" he asked.

"I didn't as I told Hill, the Tesseract was Howard's, he only loaned it to SHIELD." Tony shrugged.

"So what does it mean for me?" Clint asked still looking a little shocked.

"You have to stay in the tower until we figure it out. And I don't want to do it tonight if you don't mind." Tony suggested politely "You're all free to stay, I am sure we could find enough undamaged rooms for the night."

They all nodded and he hide his smile by tucking Pepper closer to him while he sat on the couch. When the elevator door pinged everybody tensed, ready to be lectured by Fury over leaving SHIELD without medical care, or taking Barton with them, but Fury wasn't even in the elevator. In the blink of an eye Barton had crossed the room and was standing before the elevator with a crying beautiful brunette in his arms.

"Well I didn't see that coming." he whispered and Pepper shushed him watching as another brunette tall and thin compared to the curvy first, crossed Natasha pass way to Barton and his girl to go joined a stunt Bruce.

"Betty?" He said surprised by his own voice before taking a step back for each step she took forward, the man would run out of steps before her, the penthouse was big but there were still walls.

Bruce was his friend, Hulk had just saved his life and the two scientists had immediately clicked, but something with the other scene was calling out to him. He observed as the young woman, she couldn't be that much older than 21, cried in the archer's arms, nuzzling against his collarbone while he was stroking his hands on her back soothingly. Natasha joined them and though she wasn't touching any of them she was giving a clear protecting vibe, no one should disturbed what was happening or they would pay. He hadn't even notice Thor approaching them before Natasha glare at him and he went back to watching from afar as the rest of them.

The young girl was familiar, he had never met her before but looking at her in Clint's arms he wanted to be closer, touch her the same way Natasha was now doing, just a hand slowly put over her shoulder. The girl, she felt protected, sad, loved, she was in so much pain even as he was watching her smiling at Clint. He could almost taste how tired she was. He tried to stand up, to say something but nothing would come out, nothing would move.

Clint was putting a light kiss on some bandage she had on her forehead, Iron Man bandages, Tony thought proudly, he asked her something Tony couldn't hear but she shook her head and put her head on Natasha's shoulder their injuries perfect twins placement.

"Darcy." Tony whispered finally. Totally fascinated by the young woman he didn't hear whatever Pepper was asking him, or what anyone else was doing for that matter. Darcy slowly turned toward him and waved the hand that wasn't still crushing Clint's vest, at him.

Tony couldn't move he wasn't even sure he could actually breathe as she started approaching him, Clint and Natasha trailing behind her. No one had ever looked at him like that. Felt anything like what she was feeling toward him. Sure Pepper had told him that she loved him, she told him once every day, and he always said it back because he loved her but he didn't understand why she was pretending to return the sentiment. She had known him for 12 years before she agreed to date him she had never loved him before.

Darcy was moving as if it was slow motion, her feelings, her hopes and dreams, slowly creeping up in his mind, his body. He knew what he had done to her, Phil had made sure to tell him, and even if Tony had been sure that Agent agent was mocking him, playing a SHIELD trick on him, to get him to collaborate when Hulk showed up or whatever, after all he didn't have bond marks. He felt like he needed to make it up to her, just in case, paying her tuition had been easy he hadn't even had to bribe the Dean, Darcy was really smart, she had even missed the perfect grade on her SATs on purpose, the pattern was easy to recognize, missing an answer every eleven question.

How could she look at him now and not be mad? Or angry? Repulsed? Terrified? Willing to kill him? Instead all he could feel was love, happiness, sadness, contentment, and safety. That wasn't normal, something was really wrong with her and they needed to get her away from him before he broke her. But no one was moving, no one was making anything to keep her away. All those people were clearly crazy.

"Mr. Stark." She told him looking hopeful and hurt. He wanted to yell at her to go away, but at the same time he wanted for her to go back into Clint's arms right now, where she was happy and felt loved.

Suddenly she started beating him up with a pillow, he hadn't even notice before, in her hand.

"You freaking asshole, dying freaking hurt." she yelled at him. But he knew that she didn't meant any of it, she wanted to curl around him, listen to his heart beat. He blinked and she wasn't there anymore. He panicked, someone took her away, he had to find her.

"Miss, I don't know who you are, but Mister Stark saved Manhattan today he doesn't deserve this." He turned his head toward the voice and saw the Captain restraining her in a tight grip. Was he crazy? She had every right to be mad at him, if he had done that to any member of the Avengers or even Pepper he would be dead right now, and she even did it with a pillow which was really thoughtful. What was wrong with Captain America?

"Captain!" Clint got Steve's attention growling at him. "Let her down right now!" Great, good Clint! Let her down! He tried to say but nothing would get out of his mouth.

Darcy wasn't feeling well, she started to be scared and it wasn't about Captain America's grip on her, she felt hurt, sad, cold, broken.

"Thanks Clint, I wasn't done..." She said totally ignoring her feelings. She turned toward him and started beating him with the pillow again. Good she deserved to work it out. "You're a fucking prick and ..."

Tony wanted to smile, she liked being manhandled by Cap even though she always looked back toward Clint. But her thoughts her heart was getting darker, the painfulness taking over her entire body, he knew those feelings, he remembered them.

"I don't know who let you in here..." Rogers started but Fury appeared out of nowhere.

"I did Captain Rogers and I suggest you free Miss Lewis immediately." The Spy said, pointing out the armed Avengers around them ready to defend her. Mjolnir could actually hurt the good captain, he was almost certain of it.

Darcy was screaming, and the Captain released her, Thor's hand immediately on his throat asking what he did to her.

"Not him. Stark." She looked at him eyes pleading. "Please make him, stop."

He knew those feelings that where wounding her, those pains, those slow hurtful way your heart, your soul would break. Abandon, betrayal, grief, loneliness, self-loathing, despair, hopelessness, all those thing he started to think of about himself the minute he saw her in Clint's arms. His darkness was slowly taking over her just as her light was keeping those feelings from actually hurt him for once, he realized. He just felt the urge to protect her from himself, to keep her away.

Without even realizing it, he must have called out the suit, because while Clint and who must have been Dr Betty Ross, where hovering over Darcy, checking her for injuries, the suit was forming around him.

He could actually hear Pepper loud and clear she didn't need to scream. He could hear her, he was listening to her world but he felt like she was speaking a language he didn't know about. He could hear JARVIS too but didn't understand him either, helpfully bless his electronic heart JARVIS used the hub to show him what he did, cutting Tony off any weapons in the suit was a good idea, he didn't want to hurt anyone by accident.

Pepper and Rhodey were getting dangerously close to him and he couldn't let them catch whatever he gave to Darcy so he jumped away from them on the other side of the room, he needed to still be able to see Darcy.

Clint was manipulating her, earning little grunts from the girl who couldn't talk anymore she was in too much pain, but she kept getting closer to him, always find her way back to the crook of his neck so that was good, Clint would make her happy again right? She was bleeding, he could see it now, she must have fallen on some window glass scraps that he hadn't clean yet, she was bleeding and it was his fault.

"Tony stop!" She cried out.

Steve spoke, asking something, but Bruce shrugged looking as lost as the captain. That wasn't good, Bruce was smart, and Tony needed him to find the answer to make it stop.

JARVIS was displaying Intel, on weather forecast, location, pictures of the people around him, as if he didn't know they were there. He was doing everything he could to keep them away from himself. JARVIS needed an upgrade if he couldn't see that. Suddenly the information on Protocol Alpha appeared and Tony heard the suit locking down, JARVIS would be the only one authorized to open it for the next 3 hours. Maybe the others had tried to pry Tony out of the suit.

Looking at Darcy was pointless, he couldn't help her, she was contorting, he knew he could feel her endure everything he ever went through in his life while her joyfulness, her love, her light was keeping him safe, he was trying but he didn't know how to give it back. He wanted to cry over Phil's death, hug Natasha, cuddle with Clint, and get Thor to whoever would make him happy, find Agent 13 and plead for forgiveness for things he didn't even do to her. He wanted to see his mother to feel her hugs again. But most of all he wanted to trust to people around him. No, none of it was coming from him, Darcy wanted to trust them, more than anything, even more than getting rid of the pain, she knew how to love them, care for them, make them happy but she didn't know how to trust them, she only opened herself up to Tony because she didn't know any better, because she didn't know she was doing it.

JARVIS started putting up vitals his and Darcy's, hers were critics but feelings can't kill you right? She couldn't really be dying in front of him? He wanted to tell JARVIS to activate Protocols Omega, to do everything he needed to protect her not him, but he still couldn't speak, feeling the sob in his throat every time. Darcy was really weak she had injuries all over her body, she was so tired. Why won't they just give her something for the pain? Wasn't it something they could do?

He run several diagnostics in his head looking for the better scenario but if her pain was coming from him they needed to drug him not her. Except JARVIS had him locked down and even if he got his voice's back JARVIS wouldn't let him get out.

Natasha was approaching him looking for something on the suit and JARVIS turned on the Approach Alarm of the suit. He told something to her and Natasha growled, she looked ready to tear up the suit from Tony if JARVIS didn't let her in. As much as Tony wanted to help Darcy, he wasn't ready for Natasha to inject him with anything ever again.

"Tasha! Scaring him isn't going to help!" Darcy cried out.

Hey! He could understand her, and she felt his fear immediately, maybe he could work with that, find each mark of darkness and make them go away. No! It would take way to long. Darcy didn't have that kind of time.

Darcy whined at being moved toward the couch instead of just lying in Clint's arms, and abruptly Bruce started to turn all green on them, a long growl escaping him. One of them was in so much trouble and considering the look Hulk was sending him and the way he was handling Darcy with infinite care to place her on the couch in Clint's arms in some way that made it easy for Betty to attend to her, Tony was ready to believe he was the one in trouble. But Hulk just sat down, putting himself between Tony and Darcy. Were they thinking he was doing it on purpose?

Darcy wailed, each time Tony was feeling guilty she would feel worst, he didn't know what to do, he wanted so hard to make it all better. He watched has Betty changed the mediocre bandages she had put on Darcy's legs with new one You had brought her. Good Boy.

"I want Iron Man's bandages." Darcy said her voice broken trying to smile but it looked painful, the gesture did something to Tony, he felt proud, he felt possessive. She turned her face to look at him over the giant green shoulder hiding her, she was smiling, a real smile.

Tony wanted to jump with joy.

"Someone needs to get through to Stark." Darcy hissed tucking herself closer into Clint's arms.

He heard a chorus of voices answer her, they were exasperated but they shouldn't talk to her like that, it was not her fault. He didn't know what they said but their tone got him to shiver.

"Then help me get closer to him, I'll try." She told them.

A deafening "no" resonated on the walls and this time he understood it, even Hulk had refused her request, and he wanted to shout it with them.

"What the hell?" she said straightening up, she taped lightly on Hulk's shoulder and he turned to grunt at her. "It's okay, I don't want to hurt him you know I just want to talk to him." She told the Giant Green Monster literally sitting at her feet. Was she this self-sacrificing, self-depreciating that she hadn't realize they were all protecting her not him. She was the one in pain for God's sakes.

"You like Tony don't you?" Darcy continued her little talk with Hulk. The Giant was answering her but Tony was back to not understanding him. "Want to help me save him again?" She put both of her hands on his shoulders pushing herself out of the couch's comfort to stand upright.

Tony wanted to run to her to help steady her but he couldn't, that wouldn't help, nothing he was thinking about could help. He closed his eyes just a minute, he couldn't watch her suffer because of him anymore, it was too much.

"JARVIS, I promise I don't want to hurt him, I just want to talk to him please." he heard has if she was standing right in front of him

The faceplate opened slowly. "Tony, I am sorry." She started to stay, he opened his eyes and she was so close he could have touched her if he wasn't in the suit. "I know it's not all you, it's me, I am hurting you. I shouldn't have agreed to come here, I shouldn't have forget what it felt like, I shouldn't have hit you with the pillow, I was so scared for you." She straighten up a little so it would be easier to look into his eyes. "I am so tired please help me!" her eyes were vibrant green the same as Bruce's were just before he transformed, and Tony just wanted to protect her wanted to find her a bed, to get Clint and Natasha closer to her, to look after her while she slept, he didn't care about the past anymore, not now, now he just wanted to be good for her.

"JARVIS, Protocol Alpha 73572, Code Virginia." Tony finally spoke, his voice rasped. The suit opened just in time for him to catch Darcy who was falling over before falling asleep in his arms.

Thor took Darcy to one of the guestrooms while Betty and the Captain were trying to convince the Big Guy that his job was done and they needed Bruce to take care of Darcy now. Natasha was cuddling against a shivering but still sleeping Darcy on the large bed, Pepper bringing some more covers, and a water bottle for when she would wake up. Tony was hovering just like he promised himself, making sure that she had everything she could need. That's how he realized that someone was missing.

"Where is Robin Hood?" He asked standing in between the two rooms to make sure everyone could hear him.

 _Sir, Agent Barton is on the roof._

"Why did I even ask?" Tony questioned before gesturing to Natasha who was already pulling herself up. "I got this one little spider, you stay here with her and I get the warrant bird."

"We have a standard agreement for me to kick his ass back to her if he screws up. If it helps." she said returning to her cajoling of their sleeping bond mate as Tony took the flight of stairs toward the roof, spotting Clint next to the Tesseract extractor that should have been down at the shop by now.

"Mind telling me what you're doing here?" He asked making a lot of noise on his way across the roof. One should never startle someone on a roof top.

"You should get back to her Tony" Clint whispered in the wind. "She'll need you there when she wakes up"

Tony smack him on the back of the head. "You're shitting me right?" he asked but Clint just kept looking away. "Oh my God! Even I am not this Blind." He took forcibly Clint by his shoulder and pushed him toward the door. "Natasha told me to kick your ass." he told him when Clint looked at him surprised. "Now get down there, go cuddle our girl before I let Hulk do the ass kicking."

Clint went down, Tony keeping the steps behind him. They both stopped at the door of the living area, Bruce was back, mumbling something about crazy woman and spare clothing. Fury and Steve were talking although watching as Steve's face became more and more troubled, Tony didn't know if they were talking about the battle or about the concept of Bonds, Capsicle had been frozen when Howard had made the first discovery about it. They could hear Pepper and Rhodey in the kitchen no doubt preparing snacks for everyone.

They went to the next door and it was almost close but they could hear soft voices through it.

"Tony's fine. You're safe here, we're all going to look after you, you can sleep, and we'll keep the nightmares away." Natasha was saying softly in Darcy's hair, but she was still shivering. Betty had found more medical supplies and was taking Darcy vitals, JARVIS could do that but maybe this was better. Thor was mumbling, fuming, seated on a chair in the corner of the room overlooking the scene, when his eyes caught Tony and Clint he stood up abruptly and got out of the room quickly striding to Fury.

"I told you not to bring her here." He sneered. They had never seen the God this pissed not even at his crazy homicidal brother, Steve tried to stir him away but Thor was stronger than him not by much but enough not to be push away, in the blink of an eye he had Mjolnir in hand ready to smash Fury.

"What the hell?" Clint shout out, making Darcy whimper.

"Okay you, Birdbrain, cuddling duty." Tony said pushing Clint in the room. ''I go check out why she shouldn't be here with Goldilocks." He turned toward Betty, "tell JARVIS if you need anything and when you're done come and fetch me I want to stay with her too." He could look at both rooms from where he was. Steve seemed to have calmed the God a little, or maybe it was Pepper's sandwiches who could say. He still wouldn't let go of Mjolnir though and Bruce seemed to agree with him. Steve still looked lost.

In the bedroom he watched as Clint settled in front of Darcy, Natasha at her back tracing soothing circles, he reached out to her getting both of his arms around her until she crawled instinctively onto his body's heat purring has she got to nuzzle on his neck all trace of shivering gone and he better stay where he was if he didn't want Natasha to beat him up from the look she was sending him. Darcy still seemed troubled by something but she looked sound asleep so it'll wait.

He pushed the door a little so it wouldn't close entirely, he knew JARVIS would tell him if something happened but he felt like he could hear her breathe that way even if it wasn't possible. He went back to the living area and kissed Pepper.

"Sorry for scaring you." He told her, took a sandwich, and gave her another more languorous kiss, one they normally never exchange in public but those people were safe he didn't feel the need to hide. "That's for being you, and the sandwich" he said pecking her. Pepper was blushing, he had never seen her doing that, he needed to find a way to make her do that more.

"You look chipper" she told him with a bright smile, he nodded he'd explain to her later.

"I'll go back to check on Darcy later, that's okay?" he asked her. She nodded enthusiastically, she looked proud of him.

He turned to look the others over, Bruce had covered himself with a quilt, Fury was standing as far away from Mjolnir as he could and Steve was between them all looking for answers.

"First things first, Bruce, Betty will be done with Darcy soon, there is a room at the far end of the corridor if you two want to talk things out, there should be Stark Industries pants in the closet. But if you're going to Hulk out again you should stay here the room is bigger." He said smiling at his friend.

"Hmmm! Thanks but I don't think I'll _'Hulk out'_ again today, I'll talk with Betty though." Bruce answered still mumbling to himself.

"Okay if Hulk wants to see Darcy you know where she is." He told him and moved on before Bruce could answer. "Second Cap, Tomorrow at 8 human evolution's class?" he tried to make it sound as much as a question as he could muster wanting for him to look less lost.

"Will it explain what happened?" Steve asked earnestly.

"Some, but things had changed in human biology since the 40's, I think it will help." Steve nodded so that should be fun, talking about Howard and all. "I don't know exactly what happened here, I think only Darcy could explain, although maybe our home God could light somethings up." Tony said turning toward Thor.

"I only know parts of it, I knew Darcy shouldn't be here, I had no knowledge nor control over tonight's event" Thor said.

"You could explain what you know." Tony insisted.

"Darcy should be the one making that choice." Thor declared and closed the discussion on the subject.

"You" Tony took a few steps toward Fury. "Agent 13 was in charge of Darcy, and apparently Betty, you hijacked her, stole the two women to get in here, because I am pretty sure you told her it was all either mine or Natasha's idea or she would have followed the original plan. " As usual Fury didn't respond, "Why would you do that when Thor specifically told you not to?"

"Someone shot a nuke from my Hellicarrier without my permission Stark." Fury hissed.

"OH!" Tony realized, Fury didn't know who to trust to know their little secret. "Agent 13 could have gotten them here, she is ... Well you know." Tony made a large gesture supposed to encompass all that Sharon Carter, Agent 13, was supposed to be.

Tony didn't finish it wasn't worth it, Sharon could still keep the car though a deal was a deal. Rhodey caught his eye, nice Rhodey, looked almost as lost as Steve but for different reasons. He had a whiskey in hand.

"Where is my drink?" Tony asked him and they all fell into easy talk waiting for Betty to get out of Darcy's room.


	13. The importance of being the witness of l

**The importance of being the witness of lost stories.**

It hadn't took long after Stark return for Dr Ross to reappear. She told everyone that Darcy, the young woman he had tried to stop from hurting Tony earlier, was in severe need of some sleep, as they all were as far as she could tell and it was probably true. But where Steve had let go of his adrenaline at the diner, it had all come back up in the last hour or so, it had seemed longer. He wouldn't be able to sleep not after what he had just witnessed, not without answer. If he had to guess Stark moved the explanation in the morning hoping Fury would be gone and maybe Bruce would be able to translate whatever he would say in understandable English for Thor and himself, although Thor looked like he knew enough.

After some time, and the unsolved mystery of ' _the disappearing sandwiches'_ being solved, Fury tried to get into Miss Lewis' room but was stopped by Mjolnir. To be fair, Thor, God of Thunder, that was still hard to believe, already told him twice to stay away from her. Steve might not have known who she was in general or to any of them in particular, but he wasn't stupid enough to try and approach her without asking again. Even without Thor's surveillance, Natasha and Clint were still inside, that should be enough to keep any sane man away. Fury left not long after that with a promise for his agents and the rest of the Avengers to come to debrief on the Hellicarrier on the next day.

"We are not going back there." Tony said as soon as the elevator doors had closed.

"Stark, we need to debrief." Steve told him calmly, he wasn't ready to drag either Bruce or Clint back to the carrier either but they didn't have a choice.

"Pepper!" Tony whined like the woman had every answer to everything.

"Already on it, Tony" she said typing something on her tablet, "Okay so the conference room on the 45th floor was undamaged. I can delay the crew on that floor until you're all done with it."

"And people wonder why I made you CEO." Tony sighed. Than looked at what Steve was sure was a stunt look on his face. "There was no one I could compare her too in your time Capsicle, but she could rule the world while buying shoes and still manage to make me eat vegetables. Even Fury can't argue with Pepper."

"Tony!" Pepper chastised him but it was clearly fake.

"I saw 5 stars Generals make her wishes come true so their lives would be easier." Rhodes added.

James Rhodes, Tony's best friend, colonel of the United States Army, War Machine, was gushing all over Steve, before Darcy came in, asking hundreds of question since he had stood foot on the penthouse. He was nice enough only asking about places he's been, military action he had to take, what was a couples of months over for him but decades for the curious colonel, he never mentioned any particular names though, Steve was grateful for that.

"Miss Potts, Thank you for your help but we can't prevent your worker from doing their jobs." Steve finally said.

"That wasn't up for discussion Captain Rogers." she told him firmly. "Any how I don't think any of your team mates are going to voluntarily step away from the Tower with both the Tesseract and Miss Lewis there. It's the best course of actions." She looked at her tablet when it beeped. "Fury already agreed, so it's settled." She stood up smiling. "Who wants popcorn, or Ice Cream?" she asked walking away.

"You know that feeling you get right now, that she is scary efficient and you want to cuddle and give her hugs at the same time?" Tony asked giving her a once over and smirking at a stunned Steve. "Get used to it, it's all Pepper." he said before looking at them sideways. "And no one cuddle her."

They spent the rest of the night trading stories about Phil, Tony had more than them but he was evading to go check on the other room every 20 min and was starting to spend a longer time in there leaving them without a real subject to talk about. At some point Pepper forced them to take turns taking Showers, they were not bleeding anymore but it didn't mean they had to keep wearing their blooded suits. Thor had explain how he was the only one able to move Mjolnir and after the hole the hammer made on the wall next to Darcy's room none of them was ready to put that theory to test. Natasha had reappeared a few times to give her own stories and tell them how it was going in the other room.

"Darcy is waking up from time to time, we gave her the water bottle" Natasha informed them, "Do we have anything bite sized we could give her?" she asked directly to Pepper not even considering asking anyone else. "We have fruits." That's how they all ended up in the kitchen cutting fruits into bite sized pieces.

When 8 am came around, no one had slept, apart from Bruce maybe, Betty had come out, about 2 hours after she disappeared with him and told them that being Hulk took a lot of energy out of him, doing it twice was going to require a long night of sleep. Pepper had breakfast delivered not only for them but for the rescue teams on the street. Betty and Pepper both went to stay with Darcy, along with Rhodes who had to be pushed gently out of the living room, as Clint and Natasha both joined the Avengers for the 'biology lesson', as Stark had called it.

Natasha had looked tired over the night but still composed, her injuries were healing, and she even took time to take a shower. Clint, however, clearly had trouble leaving Darcy's side, Natasha had told them he was sleeping every time she came out, but they had also theorized that Loki's priorities hadn't been the archer's sleep schedule so when he finally appeared sleepy, hair bedridden, with his uniform still on and dark circle under his eyes no one commented on it.

"You all look like a Stark commercial." He told them. Apart from Natasha who had clothes that Tony assumed were left over from her time being his assistant they were all wearing Stark Industries sportswear.

"And you look and smell like you need a shower. Go be a good addition to my Stark Billboard would you?" Stark asked pushing Clint toward his own room for a shower. "I am sure Pepper put some clothes for you in there."

"Coffee." Clint argued but Natasha was already handing him one. "Fine but someone as to..."

"Jarvis will tell you if any of us suddenly needs a naked archer." Stark dismissed him with. Steve couldn't help but blush, he had seen naked men and women before and after the serum but it wasn't something people talked about so casually in his time.

They finished breakfast and Clint reappeared quickly looking less like some zombies Steve had seen on TV on one of his sleepless night and more like a soldier in need of food and sleep.

"So Class be aware, I'll have to mention Howard a few times, and no one is allowed to ask question about him." Strangely that part was meant for the spies not for Steve as he had first thought it would be. "And about Hank Pym, so please Bruce we'll talk about the science fairytale I grew up in later." Bruce simply nodded and Stark went on.

"Great, so Cap did anyone tell you anything about bonds?" Steve shook his head. "Yeah figured they would send you out to meet people without telling you the most important part."

"Tony you're mumbling." Natasha interrupted him. She was good at getting him back on track.

"Yeah sure, so bonds, they appeared around 1951 although Howard and Hank were sure that there were undocumented cases earlier on but people were focused on making babies and rebuilding countries plus they had to actually have children old enough to talk about it to document it."

"Tony!" Bruce simply said to get him back on track.

"Oh it's going to happen a lot stop Tony-ing me!" Tony joked. "So bonds, Howard and Pym along with scientist all over the globe studied them but no one knows where they come from. Supposedly it links two or more people together, up until last night I would have sworn to you that it was a chimera. Bonded people share certain part of their life the closer the people get the stronger the bond becomes."

"You mean they could get stronger than what happened last night?" Steve asked a little panicked, if everyone was going through that something awful had happened after the war.

"Darcy is..." Tony stopped looking at the bedroom door.

"She is special." Natasha helped.

"That's the word, she is special. I never heard anyone talked about anyone like her ever." Tony completed.

"So it's not like that every time?" Steve asked just to be sure.

"No, usually it's more like getting a shock of electricity through your veins, for me and Betty it was like being smacked on the back of the head, literally but we only share basic feelings, although more than average when we get close together" everyone was listening religiously, from what Steve had gather through the night Bruce was the only one who had any actual experience on the subject, "like she could feel if I am sad, or angry, or scared."

"Might want to put in some happy feelings in there too Bro, we don't want to scare off the good Captain." Tony interrupted him, and he was right, that started to sound awful.

"Oh yeah sure no," Bruce stammered "it goes both ways, I feel when she is happy, content, excited... Yeah all those happy feelings too." Bruce ended embarrassed. "But it's more of a humming under your skin like when you wear a shirt, you know it's there you don't have to look you can feel it on your skin when you move." Bruce took a deep breath and looked at Tony, Clint and Natasha who were sitting on the couch opposing his. "Definitely nothing like what happened last night."

"Don't look at us, we didn't do anything to her, for all I know it went all bad because she was already so tired , and might or might not have died a couple of time already." Tony said, he clearly was trying for casual but you could hear his throat slowly closing on his own words.

"What do you mean she died? That's what she was mad at you about last night when she came in." Thor asked this time.

"Felt like dying." Natasha amended. "She thought Clint was dead when Loki took him, because their bond was broken." She explained and it looked like it physically pained Clint to not go back to Darcy immediately, Natasha put her hand on his arm to settle him. "And then, Phil"

"She was linked to Coulson too?" Bruce asked surprised for the first time.

Natasha ignored him they'll have time for question later. "Then Tony died briefly. She felt all of it in some way and I guess Tony was easy to put her frustration on."

"But he sacrificed himself to save people." Steve Argued.

"And she attacked me with a pillow, it evens out." Tony concluded.

"Cap did you see her when she came in?" Natasha asked, Steve nodded and she went on. "She had a bandage..."

"Iron Man bandage" Tony interrupted her but she glared at him and he gestured for her to go on.

"She had an Iron Man bandage on her forehead, in the exact same place my cut is. That's what I pass on to her. Not every time and she assured all of us that she doesn't feel any pain from it, but she also has a spread ankle from my fall from the lab and my landing on the roof, and several bruises all over her body, in the same places mine are." Steve and Thor had both palled at her story, Tony and Clint didn't look much better but they clearly already knew, and Bruce was turning Green. "It doesn't hurt her but her body still needs time to adjust to them."

Steve wanted to ask about her own injuries but even though he didn't really know Natasha yet, he had seen her on the battle field, she didn't need his condescending thoughts, she was okay or she would have said otherwise.

"I have hearing aids now." Clint stated and Natasha was not looking like she had expected him to say that, to admit a possible weakness in front of almost strangers. "She used to be able to listen in on everything that was happening around me until I got them." His guilt was showing on his face. "She can't anymore, but she saved my life when she was 15, used our bond to talk to me and send me Phil." He dismissed any question not in the mood to talk about it now. "She got hurt badly when we met, her ears started working the same way mine did when the aids were just in, over hearing every little sounds until they found the right voltage the right frequency."

"I can make better ones." Tony outburst.

"I am sure, but I'll pass, won't be really useful from now on." Clint said resigned.

That kind of thought explain why he admitted to it, he told them about the aids so they could help Darcy not for himself. Steve was about to assure him that he wasn't going anywhere when Pepper got out of the room to the kitchen.

"Don't mind me just need a bottle of water." she said and watching as the trio started to stand up she added. "For me! Darcy's still sleeping."

"I am more like Natasha, I never got anything from her before, but contrary to her I keep putting the girl into a lot of physical pain with no actual showing marks." Tony was contrite.

"I might have to disagree with that." Bruce interrupted. "Did you know Betty put Darcy under ventilation to stabilize her on the Quinjet?" Tony shook his head. "I was wondering how you came back without any of us doing CPR on you, I mean Thor told me Hulk screamed at you but that's no enough to bring someone back from respiratory arrest. I think on this one Darcy breathed for you." he stated before mumbling "Although it doesn't really make sense either."

The spies started laughing upon hearing that version of Stark's come back and Steve felt better when he saw that no one else knew why.

"She think she is a liability, that she's is going to get us all killed. We tried to explain that she had saved us but she only put on a brave face and moved on to another topic. Maybe this could sell her on it." Clint explained smiling for the first time that morning.

"I am going to go ahead and pretend all of this make sense." Steve said. "It doesn't explain what happen last night."

"I think I could take a guess on this one." Bruce said and the trio made a gesture for him to try. "It was the first time she met Tony," this last nodded. "Usually when you meet your bond mate for the first time you feel a surge of feelings you didn't have before get into your mind it's the bond forging its own place, but you already shared things with her."

"Awful things, like what happened in Afghanistan and Palladium Poisoning, and dying." Tony said putting his head in his hands than between his knees. "That girl should be far away from me."

"Well she wasn't with you in Afghanistan so I don't think it will help, even if I didn't either at the time." Betty stated, no one had seen her come in too focused on Stark.

"You helped her escape Betty, it was all you could do." Natasha assured her and waited until she was back into the bed room to turn back to the men in the room. "That's for Darcy to disclose, understood?" But none of them looked like they had a problem with that anyway.

"So back to last night please." Steve asked politely.

"Well my guess is that their bond made her feel the things she hadn't before like his childhood or Obadiah Stane or whatever the newspaper hadn't heard about." Bruce continued.

"Keeping tabs on me pal?" Tony asked smirking.

"They had newspaper even in the middle of India or Brazil, Tony, you're kind of hard to miss." Bruce answered. "And since they also share pain it was like… Well I don't really know how to explain it, like if you cut someone but you were the one suffering from it."

"That sounds about right." Tony stated.

"Not that fast, we were all there last night. Something happened to you too." Hawkeye did deserve the alias.

"Darcy is all light and fluffy and fun and I don't do well with that kind of stuff." tony answered.

"You mean you got into your suit because you were feeling happy?" Clint asked a little angry.

"No not happy, of course I wasn't happy. She was in pain, Clint! I didn't even know I called out the suit until it was there. I just ... I live with all the things that were hurting her last night on a daily basis, when she took them over and replaced them with her own fluff and love and whatever, I ..." Tony looked for the right word. "I didn't know what to do, it was like I wasn't me anymore, okay?"

It didn't look okay with anyone, there were several things in what he said that needed to be talked about but now was not the time. And his explanation did clarify last night event for Steve, if he could deal with aliens and north Gods, a woman linked strangely to his team mates should be nothing. It wasn't.

"I propose we move on to why Thor thought it was a bad idea for her to be here." Tony deflected.

"As I said last night it's a matter I should discuss with Darcy." Thor stated.

"See Pal, here is the thing, you're a God you have the magic hammer and muscles but we aren't goanna let you near her if we don't know what you're up to." Tony stated, and Clint and Natasha were nodding there approval.

But it only made Thor laugh.

"We have a Hulk." This time everyone looked at Tony surprised. "You didn't notice?" He asked genuinely surprised looking at Bruce for a confirmation. "JARVIS show us the video of Darcy talking to me."

 _The faceplate was off sir I don't have direct footage of that moment._

"Then when she asked for you to take it off, she was looking at me right?" Tony asked.

 _She was sir._

JARVIS sounded proud, which was not helping in the believing he was a computer program part, and Tony was smirking, for sure a private joke between them. The wall behind them came to life, as it was a giant television, and it showed what they all saw the previous night Darcy asking JARVIS to let her see Tony.

"Okay, now rewind it back 7 seconds, when she is looking directly at the plate and remove the coloring from the HUB." JARVIS executed himself immediately revealing Darcy with Hulk-green eyes.

"No, No, No." Bruce was shouting, "That's not even possible, I only have one bond mark, from Betty, and I would know if something like that happened." Banner was turning a little green so Tony came over to sooth him.

"It's okay she didn't get hurt. Look at him on the video, he has one giant finger on her back to keep her upright." Tony showed the entire video of Hulk handling Darcy with infinite care to Bruce. "See he was a true gentleman."

After that they lost Bruce for a few minutes, while he asked JARVIS to put the video again and again.

"That's not... Hulk doesn't even have bond marks." Bruce tried to protest.

"Sorry bond marks?" Steve asked but from the look he got Thor was eager to see one too. Bruce simply shove off his shirt to show them a simple purplish oval stain on his otherwise olive skin, it looked like a permanente hickey.

"They don't all look like that but they are remarkable and Hulk doesn't have one, I know, Ross would have look for it everywhere." Bruce stated, once again Tony looked at the spies before answering.

"We don't have one either, and by 'we' I mean Darcy too. And your father in law isn't getting close to her ever again. Or to his daughter or you, if I have a say in it." Tony stated unmovable.

"What do you mean again?" Bruce was greenish again.

"You'll talk about that with Betty, after tea and some yoga maybe." Tony said gesturing for him to look at himself.

Bruce might have control over Hulk most of the time, but if what they were saying was true, he might not have a choice where Miss Lewis was concerned. Steve was starting to feel like a stranger in the middle of all this, not quite certain he should be listening on stories that included everyone but him. Thor wasn't linked or bonded of whatever they were calling it to the young lady but he already knew her.

"He is not my father in law." Bruce pouted after calming down.

"Semantic my friend." Tony told him. "See Thor we have a Hulk. And we're not waking Darcy up for you to explain. JARVIS will give her the video."

"I asked the Allfather, when I got back from my journey on Earth, if I was right to presume things about Lady Darcy, and he confirmed mine, the Warrior Three and Lady Sif suspicions." Thor was good at telling tales and they were all captivated by the story. "When my father looked for a place for the Tesseract to be kept safe, he chose a little village he and the Asgardian army had saved from the Frostgiant hundreds of your years before."

"Tromso" Steve whispered.

"You know the place, Captain." Thor stated.

"Sorry, I assumed, it's where Schmidt stole it." Steve explained.

"The people of this village were named protector of the stone, and it would protected them in return." Thor continued.

"For all the good it did to them." Steve interrupted again. "Sorry, but Schmidt killed all of them when he took the stone." he winced at telling parts of Hydra story.

"Not all of them though, only the ones in the village, but some had moved far away." Thor continued. "The Tesseract is meant to find its protectors by itself, Father can't come here to do it every time it's misplaced or stolen, it happened several times over the years but it was always returned to Tromso."

"Well that not stupid at all." Clint mumbled.

"How is that related to Darcy?" Natasha asked.

"Darcy's ancestors came from that village. She was meant to protect the cube. "

"What about us?" Clint asked still looking unsure.

"As you stated the stone gets easily stolen, one can't do the protection alone. And Darcy was nothing but a baby when it chose her, she needed people to help her find it." Thor told them.

"We did such a great job at that." Clint stated and Natasha wacked him on the back of the head. "Ouch! What have you watch outside today? Plus that thing was stolen right from under SHIELD's nose."

"The Tesseract isn't supposed to protect itself against Asgardians, whoever send my brother here knew of this weakness." Thor apologized.

"I still don't get it." Bruce said and Steve felt better because if Banner didn't understand no one did.

"I think I got parts of it." Except Stark of course. "Darcy comes from a long line of Tesseract keeper and the Tesseract was meant to find her and lead her to us so we could save the day by being the Avengers."

Was Steve really tired? Because that both made sense and was more confusing at the same time.

"True." Thor answered.

"So the Tesseract knows the future." Clint snorted.

"The Tesseract is a representation of Space it doesn't know of time, or distance, only what's here and what isn't. It didn't have a keeper so it found one. A keeper always have guards, and that's you, us."

"Space and time and distance and... Leave the science alone Goldilocks." Tony shout out. "Did that thing really need to hurt her this badly for her to find us? I mean flowers with a 'welcome to the club' card would have been nicer." He continued more calm.

"This is where my knowledge stop, it never happened before. Father said that the protectors usually found their way to the keeper on their own before they take possession of the stone. I cannot explain Lady Darcy's predicament." Thor concluded.

"It doesn't' explain why everyone is bonded, if it was meant just for them." Steve inquired. Everyone looked at him curious. "What did I say something wrong?"

"No in fact my dear Captain, you asked a really good question." Tony assured him. "Howard thought," there it was again Steve winced internally every time Tony called his father Howard, even Thor was calling his, Father, it was formal but still fatherly, and Bruce had said something about his childhood hurting Darcy, what did Howard do to his son. "That the Tesseract was what caused the change because he found it in the water less than a year after Rogers went to Freezerland." Tony looked straight to Steve. "He was looking for you. Never really stopped. But there was no signs of the plane where he found the Tesseract." he took a deep breathe "that's more or less when Hank and Howard thought the first cases appeared"

"The cube went down long before me." Steve explained. That wasn't on Howard's files, did the SHIELD even know about the search teams?

"Well either way, he could never prove it." Tony concluded.

"It is possible that the Tesseract sent some form of signal to find Darcy while in the water." Thor explained.

"But why did it affect everyone?" Natasha asked again.

Steve was lost in his thought of the moment, the fight with Schmidt the Tesseract showing them space and Schmidt taking it in hands before being slowly vaporized, and the cube melting the metal of the plane falling into the Atlantic.

"I could have prevent it." Steve thought he whispered, but he actually shout cutting of everyone around him. "The cube I mean, I watched it as it fall into the ocean and I did nothing to prevent it."

"Steve," It was the first time Tony actually used his name, "you couldn't have known, after what Schmidt did with the cube the weapons he produced, we all would have let it fall down the deep water." Everyone around them nodded.

"See as I told you Protectors of the Stone." Thor boomed. It was a wonder Miss Lewis was still asleep with all the noise the God could make. "None of you would have used it as my Brother and this Schmidt you're talking about did."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it still doesn't answer..." Steve didn't even know who was talking but he had a theory on what happened.

"What if the Tesseract was covered in Super Soldier blood when it fall?" he offered.

"What do you mean covered in?" Bruce asked.

"Schmidt and I, we were fighting and he was a super solider too so he got a few blow on me and I am sure he had blood on his gloves when he took the Tesseract in hand." Steve explained.

"That human touched the Tesseract!" Thor was outraged.

"He was pulverized by it if it is any comfort to you." It wasn't a comfort for him, stocked with those images in his head forever but if it helped Thor to know it.

"This is more like the stories I heard from human touching it." Thor told him. So it was a defense mechanism good to know with it being 1 floor beneath them.

"So Blood? Mine? Schmidt? Could it have...I don't know, boost the Tesseract like it boosted us?" Steve theorized.

"Sure I mean why not, it's as possible as anything else," Bruce answered him, "It's what made Hulk; it could have used the super soldier serum to find it's keeper, sending the coding to every new human being instead of just the one it needed, to be sure it wouldn't miss a possibility and the bonding could be accidental a side effect."

"So the Tesseract belongs to Darcy and she's stuck with us and whatever horrible stuff we did to her forever because it got super juiced?" Clint summarized.

"I should have kept it from falling." Steve repeated.

"Not what I mean Cap, not blaming anyone, just looking for answers." Clint assured him, looking sincere, "Plus you still ended up in the water, maybe getting the Tesseract would have prevented you from crashing far away from New York, or you would have ended up dead the same way Schmidt did. Don't blame yourself."

"You're going to apply the same logic to yourself?" Natasha asked him and Clint went back to sulking in a flash so she wacked him again, not sure it was actually working.

"So..." Tony started. "We're staying with that explanation? Super juiced up Tesseract choose us to protect itself against wacko dictator wannabees and Darcy is our ... Keeper?"

"I think she is the Tesseract's keeper." Bruce said.

"And I think she kept all of us alive. So she is our keeper and we protect what's hers in return." Clint helped.

"I am taking the Tesseract back to Asgard." Thor stated to no one surprise. "I need its power to bring my brother to justice since the Bifrost is broken."

"And Bruce and I are going to start working on a device for you to do just that right now." Tony said standing up suddenly.

"After debriefing with Fury." Steve reminded him.

"Of course after talking to Fury, I wouldn't miss that for the world." tony answered sarcastically. "When do we have to do that?"

"Now." they heard behind them.

"JARVIS you're fired." Tony grunted.

 _Sorry sir, my protocols have been override._

"I am writing you new ones. Put it on top of the list." Tony stated.

 _Of course sir. If I may Director Fury, entered the room just after Captain Rodgers reminded you of your appointment._

The Avengers looked at one another in a silent agreement, if Fury hadn't heard what they had talked about than he would never be told. Steve was getting the idea that even the two SHIELD agents were not always forthcoming when things were about Miss Lewis, and from what he had heard, Phil Coulson had helped them hide her from SHIELD a lot.


	14. watching the light take over

**Watching the light take over.**

They took turns, debriefing, sleeping, cooking, getting down to help the rescue and cleaning teams, watching over the sleeping young lady, forcing Tony and Bruce away from Tony's workshop. At first they had troubles getting Natasha and Clint away from Miss Lewis. Tony and Bruce had been easier to deal with, the latter felt less like turning into Hulk if he didn't have to watch her whimpering every time she turned on her side, when the former strongly believed that sending the Tesseract back to Asgard with Thor would free Darcy from her bonds.

Steve was on his forth 'hovering shift', as Pepper had called them. Miss Lewis seemed to only come back to a relative consciousness, enough to drink, eat, be helped to the bathroom, when Clint, Natasha or Tony came into the room, always sleeping more deeply around Pepper, Betty or himself, so they started to take more shift after the first 24 hours.

He had asked Pepper for some paper and pencil, and started to draw, his team mates at first, thinking it would be inappropriate to draw a young, sleeping gal, he didn't even know. Natasha had come out first, he had had more time to observe her since his first steps on the Hellicarrier. He tried to draw Tony but came out several times with Howard instead, he knew him better, had spent more time with him. He was having a hard time drawing Thor or Hulk, feeling like he didn't do them justice. He was trying his hand on Clint's eyes when Miss Lewis started to stir, he stopped moving, not that drawing was making a lot of noise but she usually fell right back to sleep after a few seconds.

He watched as she padded her right side before grunting, turning over and repeating the same movement, founding nothing she growled into her pillow before turning on her back pushing some of the covers away from her body. Someone took times to change her clothes, she was now wearing a SHIELD shirt too big for her, Clint's his mind provided, and a blue loose short that was probably Natasha's. Her long black hair were spread all over the pillows under her head, she had lost the slightly pink color in her cheeks, and surely the fever Betty had told them about had been subdued.

"Staring isn't really polite." Steve heard a small insure voice saying, he blushed deeply realizing he had been, in fact, staring at her without realizing that she was awake. "You're not Johnny are you?"

Steve nodded still flustered and not knowing who she was talking about. He started to stand up when she stopped him.

"Please don't go." She asked.

"I was going to get Tony, Clint or Natasha." He assured her.

"I know." She whispered. "Don't!" She told him again when he was about to open the door. He looked back at her wondering if something was wrong. "I need few minutes."

Steve resting his back on the door. "JARVIS wait a little before telling them she is awake please." He had become accustomed to the AI.

 _Of course Captain Rogers. If I may, Miss Lewis, I am glad to see you awake._

"We already talked about this J." Miss Lewis chastised the AI.

 _Sorry Darcy. Everyone was worried about you._

"How long did I sleep for?" She asked.

 _Today is Saturday it's 3:23 pm, you slept for 40 hours and 38 min._

"Wow." Darcy simply said before acknowledging him again "So Captain Rogers?" She said but didn't leave him time to answer before she spoke again. "I don't know who you are but if I were you I wouldn't go bar or club humping in New York without major PR work, you look way too much like Johnny Storm not to win a few slapping or some kind of drinks shower from the women of the city."

How could someone talk this much after sleeping 2 days straight? And that wasn't even counting the fact that he didn't understand half of what she just said.

"Sorry! What?" He heard himself ask confused.

"You know Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four, didn't they come and help with the all alien thing? I thought they would have that's why I thought you were Johnny but you're bigger, and blond." She explained.

"I am Steve Rogers, and I don't know who the Fantastic Four are Miss Lewis." He told her still trying to get a bearing on what was happening.

"Did you live under a rock for the past 5 years?" Once again she kept talking without waiting for an answer. "He is an asshole anyway, slept with my roommate and never called her back."

Steve started blushing again, cursing and talk about sex had always had this effect on him, it was conditioned into his 1920's little boy's brain.

"Oh, he would never do that, that's cute." She told him, making the blushing worsen. "So Captain Rogers, are you an Avenger?"

"It's Steve and yes M'dam, I am" It had been made clear from his time at the Tower that she had enough clearance to know about all of them, his identity was safe with her.

"But I am not bonded to you." She observed. "Wait! You're the one who wouldn't let me pillow Tony to death." She stated smiling. "I wasn't going to hurt him you know, it wouldn't have done me any good."

"I know that now." He told her.

"You were wearing a Captain America suit." She said nodding along to her own thoughts. "I never thought SHIELD would have gone so far as to get someone into that uniform, I guess it's good PR regarding Loki's actions, though, reassuring the little people. But explaining it is going to be a nightmare people are pretty attached to his Hero Image, it's going to be a tough star and spangled suit to wear" She informed him.

"I'll keep that in mind" he told her smirk "JARVIS, would you explain things to Miss Lewis please."

"Not Miss Lewis. Never Miss Lewis." Darcy mumbled and he nodded to signal he heard her.

 _Darcy, the person currently standing in your room is Captain Steven Grant Rogers, born July 4_ _th_ _1918, reported MIA in 1945, he was found in Greenland 2 months ago._

Darcy listened to JARVIS eyeing Steve, before smiling at him. "I guess it's Johnny who looks like you than and not the other way around. Thor, I hope for your sake that you're not related to him."

"I'll ask about that but I don't see how it would be possible." Steve told her. "You seem to be pretty okay with all of this."

"You did meet Thor, right? Or JARVIS?" She asked looking skeptical. "They did explain to you what happened the other night? And you were here for the Aliens thing?" She sat up in the bed. "You being Captain America is like the less weird thing I heard this week."

Steve laughed and she followed through.

"Tell me Captain Rogers…" She started and he interrupted her. "Steve, please." "Okay! Tell me Steve, on a scale to 1 to 10, how mad at me are they?" she finally asked.

"I am sorry, I don't think I… What are you talking about? Who should be mad at you?" he sputtered.

Darcy started playing with the hem of the sheet not meeting his eyes anymore. "You know… Tony, Tasha, Clint…" She whispered.

"Darcy? Why would they be mad at you?" He asked approaching the bed and kneeling in front of her to be at eye level.

"Because I hurt Tony, and I couldn't save Phil this time, and I didn't even help getting Clint back." She was sobbing and Steve realized that he was the last person who should have been there when she woke up, she was buying herself time by asking him to stay, time she didn't need.

"Darcy, no one is mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong. I've only heard good thing about you for the past 2 days." Steve tried to explain but from the tears that were starting to fall freely on her cheeks he wasn't any better at talking to women now than he used to be.

"But they aren't here. They left me with Captain America as a guard." She told him "Not that I have anything against you." She assured him.

"I am not here to guard you Darcy." He took her hands away from the sheets before she started making holes in it with her nails. "We took turns looking after you, making sure you were not in pain or didn't need water or food or to go to the bathroom." Steve was hoping JARVIS had picked up on this conversation and had called the other to help. "Everyone stayed with you."

"Okay" she said sniffing, clearly only trying to make him feel better.

"JARVIS?" he asked

 _Yes Captain._

"Where are the others?" he inquired.

 _I contacted Agent Romanov and Agent Barton but they still are with Director Fury. Sir and Dr Banner are in the workshop working on the extractor with Mr. Odinson. Ms. Potts and Dr Ross are in the kitchen. Do you want me to call them?_

"No!" Darcy cried out. "I … Don't disturb them." She added.

"Darcy, they would do a better job at explaining all this than what I am doing right now." Steve protested but she shook her head.

"I'll wait." She told him, he gave her hands back but she started to play with the sheets again.

"I am sorry about Phil." He told her after a few minutes of silence.

"Loki is the one who will be sorry for Phil's death if I ever find myself close to him." She mumbled.

"Yeah Thor told us about Sparky." Steve joked with her, he knew she would never meet Loki anyhow. He earned a proud smile from her, as she had every right to be.

"Steve?" She got his attention back to her when he started staring at her lips for too long, he started blushing once again. "The blushing is really cute. Who knew Captain America was such a dork." She laughed. She needed to stop if she didn't want him to combust. "I wanted to know if you had a phone on you."

Before he could answer JARVIS spoke up.

 _I could make any call you'd like Darcy, although I'd have to ask for you not to disclose your current whereabouts._

"Good to know, J, but I don't have any phone calls to make." She answered.

"Than what about my phone?" Steve asked curious.

"Is it on vibrator?"

"I don't have a phone on me, is there something wrong?" he inquired.

"There is something humming. It's nice but I want to know where it comes from." She explained.

"I don't hear anything." Steve stated.

 _I don't detect any sorts of sounds either._

"Well I am hearing it." Darcy said while getting the covers off her legs to get out of bed. Steve put a hand on the small of her back to steady her when she stood up and handed her a robe Pepper had left. "It's so soft."

"Miss Potts got it delivered for you yesterday. She said she had nothing that could fit…" He suddenly remembered Tony talking crudely about her body and getting a slap from both Pepper and Natasha and strated to blush again when he saw his own hands gesturing to point out her upper body parts "She said it should be perfect for you." He resumed.

She walked to the door, opening it absentmindedly. "Darcy, where are you going?" he asked following her.

"Told you, I want to find where that sound is coming from." She told him.

"Maybe you should wait until Dr Ross checked you out." He offered, they would kill him if something happened to her because he didn't call for Betty right away.

"I'm fine." She told him, swaying slightly when she opened the door to the stairs.

"Could we at least take the elevator?" He countered.

"No need when I have my knight in shinny armor with me." She told him putting her hands around his left arm to help steady herself while she was taking the first step. "Plus I don't know where we are going." She told him as if it was supposed to make more sense.

Steve stood before her, looking her over before turning over and gesturing for her to op on. If he couldn't keep her from looking for that humming sound at least he could prevent her from falling down the stairs.

"Yeah! Piggy back rid from Captain America!" she jumped on enthusiastically.

They went down 1 floor before she asked for him to open the door, than asked him to follow the voices they were coming from the same direction as the hum. JARVIS opened the door to the workshop before they got there and Darcy squeezed his shoulder as soon as they crossed the doorway so he would let her down.

"Don't you think you're taking you duties a little too far, Captain Spangles?" Tony joked when they got in.

"She wanted to take the stairs on her own." Steve protested.

"Darcy, what are you doing here?" Bruce asked her but she was humming a song he had never heard before totally ignoring them. She was slowly walking toward the end of the lab.

"Darcy!" Tony tried but she kept acting like they were not there.

Suddenly the entire lab was invaded by pictures of stars, reminding Steve of the one he had already seen when he was on Schmidt's plane.

"Darcy, don't touch it!" Steve cried out before anyone noticed what was happening, but she was still not listening.

"Hey you!" They heard her say and the images changed into what looked more like the one he remembered, 2 galaxies, one yellow, one looking pinkish.

Steve run toward Darcy but was stopped short behind her. Fascinated by what he had in front of him. Darcy stood in front of the Tesseract totally wrapped by a blue light that was coming from the cube. She was laughing, squirming as if the light was tickling her.

"Darcy?" Thor asked as all three other men joined him.

"I am fine." She told him smiling when she finally looked at them. The light disappeared back into the cube and Thor approached her to be stopped by a blue light wall just before he could touch her. "She's not going to hurt me." She explained.

"She?" Tony whispered but Darcy didn't explain, she went back to looking at the Tesseract.

"They are nice, don't hurt them." She told the cube firmly and the wall disappeared. "Stay where you are." She ordered Tony when he took a step forward.

All four of them looked in silence as she started to talk to the Tesseract. The images surrounding them changing from Galaxies to Galaxies, giving them beautiful picture of the Earth from space, like the one Steve had seen on the internet.

"Yep, that's where you are now." Darcy said and the Galaxy changed again. "That's your home?" Darcy asked, it was like listening on someone phone conversation, Steve felt like they only had half of exchange.

"It's Asgard." Thor said helpful and Darcy nodded at him.

"You want to go back there?" Darcy asked but the cube shut down. "Loki will be contained." She told it before turning toward Thor.

"My brother will pay for his crimes against the Earth." Thor stated. Darcy faked caught, apparently it people hadn't found a more subtle way to get someone's attention in the past 70 years. She gestured to the Tesseract. "Oh! He will also answer for his crimes against the Tesseract."

The pictures came back around them.

"Tesseract, that's a mouthful. Can I call you Tess?" Darcy was talking to that thing as if it was human, but people, including himself, were talking to JARVIS the same way so he wasn't about to comment.

"Darcy, stop talking to it as if it could understand you it's creepy." Tony told her and she glared at him.

"It not weirder than when I speak to J." She said and Steve wanted to singsong an 'I told you so'.

 _I'll take that as a compliment Darcy._

Tony looked a little shocked by the exchange but shut up.

Darcy reached out to the Tesseract and just before she touched it they all jumped forward "Don't" resonated from the four voices long after they stopped yelling. But Steve was starting to get that she wasn't the kind of woman who would listen to orders. He turned around not willing to watch her being pulverized. But there were no screams, the pictures didn't went away. He turn back abruptly when he heard Tony talking to Bruce.

"Come one Brucey, not in the lab, I promise I figure something out in the remodeling but we don't have Hulk space right now. Look she is adorable." He was telling gesturing toward Darcy. She was freaking petting the Tesseract. She had sat down on the work bench next to it and was tracing random patterns on the surface of the cube.

"Darcy?" Thor asked his nervousness transpiring in his voice.

"What? Tess is scared." She told them.

Steve heard a commotion behind him and realized he wasn't actually surprised to see that Natasha and Clint had come up, JARVIS had probably called them.

"Where is Fury?" Tony asked.

"Pepper." Natasha told him as a sole answer. Pepper was a miracle worker Steve had learned, watching her taking care of the team and keeping Stark Industry from losing points, whatever that meant it had seemed important, at the same time she was making arrangement for the workers in the tower as well as on the streets of Manhattan to have everything they needed brought to them by any means necessary.

"What the Hell is she doing?" Clint asked getting in between Steve and Darcy, Steve had just the time to stop him before he got too close to her. When he glared at him, Steve released him gesturing from him to continue, the blue light hadn't seemed to hurt Thor.

Darcy only turned to look at Clint when he cried out in surprised at being stopped by a wall of energy before he could get to Darcy.

"Hi Clint!" She said waving at him.

"Are we invisible?" Tony complained. Darcy hadn't really acknowledged him yet.

"I thought that thing was dangerous?" Natasha asked.

"Well apparently Tess was scared so Darcy decided to sooth her." Bruce explained and Natasha glared at him. "No need to look at me like that, it's what Darcy told us."

"Darce, why don't you get back here with us?" Clint asked her.

Darcy looked between Clint and 'Tess' like she couldn't decide.

"I have…" Steve started but interrupted himself he wasn't sure it was his place to say anything.

"Come on Steve what do you know?" Natasha asked him.

"Darcy do you want to tell them what you told me?" he asked her but she shook her head. "Can I?" she shrugged.

"Cap?" Clint turned to look at him.

"She think you're all mad at her." He stated.

"What? Why?" Natasha was startled, he had never seen her anything but confident even in the middle of the battle.

"She seems to believe she should have been able to find Clint, save Phil, and that she hurt Tony the other night." He exposed.

"Darce!" Clint whined. "Let me come closer, please!" He pleaded and took a step closer, when no more wall appeared he went to sit next to Darcy. "Darce, look at me." He asked her while tugging her closer to him so she would fit on his body side while he had his arm around her.

Darcy looked up and smiled shyly. "No one is mad at you for anything." Clint told her and she listened to him while chewing her bottom lip lightly. "You couldn't do anything about Phil, none of us had been able to, Tasha kicked my ass right back to you, just as we agreed, and you didn't hurt Tony, not even one bit." She was shying away from him so he took her chin in his hand and tugged at her bottom lip with his thumb to get her to release it putting a kiss on her forehead. "We were all worried about you. You okay?" Darcy nodded.

Steve wanted to face away, it looked like an intense private moment more than a reassuring talk in front of friends. He looked around him, everyone seemed to be on the verge of blushing, and even Tony was visibly restraining himself from interrupting them.

"Tess is scared." Darcy told Clint taking the Tesseract in hand and getting it closer to Clint.

"Don't touch it." Thor informed him and Clint nodded without looking at them.

"Loki is in lock up. She is safe here." Natasha suggested.

"Not Loki, someone else." Darcy informed them.

"Can we help her?" Clint asked her.

"She wants to go home." Darcy smiled at him.

"We can't send her back to Tromso Darce it's not safe there." He stated but Darcy shook her head.

"Not Tromso, Asgard." She said looking at Thor. "She says your father can protect her, she wants to go back in the safe."

"Well, anyway, we were working on something to send our Gods back to Asgard using Tess' energy so… I am going to go back to that." He told that clapping. "Bruce?" he asked and the scientist was about to follow when Darcy called them back.

"I know" Darcy said all chipper suddenly crossing the room toward them. "She wants to help."

"But she only talks to you" Bruce pointed out. "I can't believe I just said that." He mumbled.

"Darce you just woke up you need to eat, drink…" Clint told her.

Darcy looked at Clint with the same big eyes, long lashes that won her to get down the stairs on Steve's back.

"Can I have a burger, and some fries?" she asked bright smile. Natasha sighed on Steve side as they watch Clint trying to resist telling her yes before giving up.

"JARVIS can take the orders." Tony pipped up once Clint had nodded his ascent.

They all stayed to eat together, watching amused as Darcy corrected some of Bruce's and Tony's equations telling them why it was wrong all the while looking like she had no idea about what she was talking about. After a while Darcy started to dose off she had put the Tesseract back into its protective glass and was sitting on a work bench close enough to see what Tony and Bruce were doing but not enough to be in the way, resting her head on Clint's shoulder.

Steve was staring at Clint's hand playing with the curls of Darcy's hair so he didn't noticed Natasha staring at him in return. They were both sitting on a table at the far end of the shop sipping their milkshakes. Natasha lightly kicked his shin balancing her legs playfully.

"You want to spare?" She asked him smiling. "Tony has a great gym a few floors down." Steve looked at the scene before them one last time before nodding pushing himself off the table.

"Sure." He simply told her. "Tony, mind if we use your gym?" Tony had told them to make themselves at home but it was always polite to ask.

"Sure, go, it's on the 55th floor just ask JARVIS if you need anything." Tony dismissed them.

Natasha stayed silent until they arrived at the gym. She was right, it was pretty nice, and everything seemed brand new, which was certainly the case the tower only opened recently. Natasha gestured silently toward the ring and jumped on it herself clipping her hair up.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked him when she went for the first blow.

"Talk about what?" he asked her confused countering her attack.

"They aren't together you know? They are just really close." She continued. "I know the PDA could be weird for someone from your time." She added but he could see that it was more for his benefit than something she actually believed in. "They just fall into it, never seem to take the time to question what they are doing."

"PDA?" he asked. Everyone was using acronyms he wasn't understanding them half the time.

"Public Display of Affection." She told him bluntly. "The cuddling, hugging, kissing and stuff, they do all the time."

"I don't care about that." Steve told her confused, he found it cute even though she was right he thought they were a couple up until now.

"I know." Natasha stated smirking.

"Nat!" He said but didn't really know where he was going with it.

She let it go and they spared for a while before Thor joined them on the ring and Natasha decided that it was too much testosterone for her, her wording not his, letting them blowing off some pent up energy. Steve didn't have to stay aware of his own body all the time with Thor he could put all his force into the sparing. Thor was laughing as they went, they were both having fun.

"The device will be ready in the morning." Thor informed Steve when they got off the ring to get water bottles from the mini fridge at the back of the gym.

"Did Darcy go back to sleep?" Steve asked.

"She did, she said Tess had told them everything she knew." Thor informed him.

"Please tell me she didn't took that thing to her room." Steve sighed.

"Tony assured her that JARVIS could put something called a video feed up for her to watch over Tess from her bed." Steve liked that Thor didn't understand all those stuff everyone found normal either even though it was because the God was coming from another planet where things had another name not because he was misplaced in time.

In truth Steve was jealous of the God, with the others' help he would be back to his home by tomorrow, Steve was stuck in the future forever. Thor would be reunited with his friends and family, where Steve had lost all of them. He needs to take time to grief, to find his new place in the future, maybe make new friends. His team mates would be great friends but he couldn't force himself into their lives.

"Captain." Thor said, voice elevated, as if he had been trying to get Steve's attention for a while now.

"Sorry. That's good. Did she have time to talk to Tony about the other day?" He asked.

"Not yet." Thor confirmed.

"So… Do you need to prepare anything for your trip?" Steve changed the subject, realizing he only talked about Darcy, but the girl had been the center of their collective attention for the past 48h it was natural by now.

"The Tesseract will get us there in seconds, nothing is required." Thor assured him. "Tony and Pepper are preparing a feast for us to celebrate our victory tonight."

Right on time Steve's stomach growled. "Sounds like a great idea." Steve laughed.

 _Sirs, Miss Potts wants me to inform you diner will be ready in an hour. You can find showers on the penthouse level and clothes have been provided for you. They are available in the room next to Darcy's._

"Thank you JARVIS." Steve answered the AI.


	15. You Jump I Jump, Jack!

**You Jump I Jump, Jack!**

"Darcy!" Her mother called out from the kitchen. Darcy joined her and sighed seeing that she was watching the street from behind the curtains. "It's been 2 hours, honey!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious Mom." Darcy quipped. She knew how long it's been, she decided to play chicken he would eventually leave if she did not acknowledge him.

"Darcy, there is a tall blond man wearing a leather jacket and looking like he is 90% muscles perch on a Harley in front of my house." Her mother stated like Darcy hadn't seen him already. "Do something about it."

"But I don't wanna." Darcy pouted sitting on the counter helping her mother dry the dishes.

"Look! I don't think he is going to leave anytime soon." Elizabeth told her all motherly. "I know you were supposed to look after April today but I can take her to day-care, I still have time."

Darcy sighed again making a mental list of pros and cons between looking after April and talking to Captain America. Having to watch Steve playing with a baby while trying to get rid of him was a major con.

"Yeah fine, take her to day-care, I'll take care of him." Darcy agreed pushing herself out of the counter to go prep her little sister for day-care.

25 minutes later Darcy was cooing at April on the porch waiting for her mom and totally ignoring Steve.

"You'll have the house to yourself until tonight, Danny took a double shift." Her mother told her taking April in her arms and kissing Darcy on the cheek. "Be nice." She shout out when she passed Steve walking toward the house.

He looked longingly at the baby before joining her on the door steps. She had totally made the good call.

"Is she yours?" he finally asked, skipping the politeness all together.

"April?" She chocked wondering who wacked Captain America hard enough for him to think that. But she quickly remembered that she was 21 with a 7 month old little sister, it was plausible. "No she is all hers." She said pointing at her mom's car disappearing at the street corner. "She is her do-over." Darcy simply stated. "A perfect baby girl, born in a solid marriage, who will have a dad to help her grow up, a mom who doesn't have to look over her shoulder for social services to critic her parental skills, and a bounty of Bond Marks over her little baby body."

"Darcy!" Steve whispered but she shushed him and ushered him inside.

"Coffee? Tea? Beer? Water? Soda?" Darcy offered politely.

"I'll have a beer if you get one too." Steve told her.

Darcy took 2 beers out of the fridge and led the way to the garden at the back of the house, seating on one of the long chair offering the other to Steve.

"I thought I intentionally left Vegas out of that list of places to visit I gave you before you went to Central Park." Darcy told him after a few minutes of silence.

"Believe it or not but I can actually read a map." He joked back.

"Did you come all the way here to ask me if Clint and Tasha are dating? Because I don't think there is a fraternization rule on SHIELD's book, and even if there is one they aren't even real agents they are specialists, half of SHIELD's regulation don't apply to them." Darcy didn't even breathe during her little speech he was almost sure of that.

"Darcy! I didn't came here for that..." he rolled his eyes. "Wait, those two are together?" He asked a little embarrassed about his own curiosity.

"Nope!" She told him popping her tongue on the roof of her mouth.

"Then why did you...?" He didn't even took the time to finish and sighed. "Darcy! Can't we have a normal conversation?" He pleaded.

"Not if I can help it." She told him smirking.

Steve smile at her, he couldn't help himself she reminded him of some of his lost friends. He wondered if women in this century were all as brave and courageous as Darcy had been a week earlier, but mostly he wondered if they were all that crazy.

"Fine" She sighed exuberantly when he stayed silent for too long, lost in memories. "What are you doing here Steve?" She asked.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing." He retorted.

"I have every right to be here." She sputtered "It's my mother's house."

Steve looked at her all 'Captain America is disappointed in you' and she caved.

"I couldn't stay and you know it. They had lives to get back to and they didn't want me there anyway. Don't look at me like that, it's not like I actually went back to hiding, and yet you're the only one who came or called." She had left a week prior, sneaking out while they were bidding farewell to the Gods, first stopping at Culver to ask for a week off and to pack some clothes and stuff, than she went straight to Vegas and she hadn't heard from the Avengers since then.

"You ditched your phone." He pointed out and she winced, she did do that, she kind of missed not having JARVIS with her but they would have found her before she even left NY if she had kept it.

"I thought you were going on a road trip after seeing Thor and Loki go." She stated.

"I am. But I kept my phone." He countered.

"Did they ask you to come?" She wondered.

"They don't even know I am here, Darcy." He affirmed.

"See they don't care…" she retoured "Why do you?"

"Oh Darcy, don't do that to yourself." He told her but she staid impassive. "You left without even saying goodbye while we were overlooking Loki's departure."

"I left a note." She countered.

"Oh yes, Pepper texted it to me. ' _Dear Avengers, as you surely figure out by now Tess took away the bonds when she went back to Asgard, you don't need to look after me anymore and I don't want to be a burden. I had fun meeting all of you. Love you, Darcy'"_ He recited.

Darcy didn't look at him she took a few sip of her beer waiting for him to say something.

"It's been a week you know that the bonds are still there." He stated.

"It doesn't mean I should impose myself on them. They didn't want me there." Darcy told him. "I heard them!" she explained "I heard Tony saying that he was hoping sending the Tesseract away would get rid of the bonds; Natasha saying that I was right seeing the effect of her injuries on my body was hard to watch; Bruce didn't even want to be in the same room as me."

She knew she had curled up around herself, her head on her knees her arms around her legs to keep them as close to her body as possible.

"Wow, I didn't even know someone could be more fucked up than any of us." Steve whistled.

"Thanks." She snapped at him.

"You're going to shut up and listen to me very carefully Darcy." He told her all Captain America again.

"Are you even allowed to curse in front of a woman?" She tried her hand at a joke, but her smile was clearly forced.

"If it's what needs to be done for what I have to say to get through to you, than yes." He answered. "So are you going to listen?"

Darcy nodded.

"I didn't come to yell at you or force you to come back, I just want to understand." He told her. "They… No, **we** , we all took care of you while you were at the Tower. So what if you heard a sentence or two totally out of context while you were out of it. Did you miss the part where they were all happy to finally be around you?" He stopped and took a long look at her. "Pepper said she never saw Tony this enthusiastic about anything not made of metal or AI since she met him. Bruce was actually excited to see Hulk acting on other feelings than anger, thought it might help. Natasha seemed happy to have someone to fuss around who would let her do it without complaining too much." He looked way from her. "Clint won't even talk to any of them since you left."

"But I hurt them." Darcy whispered.

"You keep saying that but I really don't get why." He stated.

"Tasha, she doesn't need me around to remind her that she can get hurt, I see how she looks at me, super-spies shouldn't be scared for normal people." She explained.

"It didn't keep her from sparing with Thor and me while you were with us." Steve countered.

"But she knew you wouldn't hurt her, and Betty was there to patch the both of us up if something happened." She told him.

"Don't you think she would feel better knowing you're at some place with medical help instead of alone here? She refused a mission yesterday because she could have gotten hurt and we didn't' know where you were." Steve hoped he had a compelling argument with this.

"I don't like medical people. Just Betty." She stated, concealing his point.

"Darcy if you want to stay away because they hurt you when you're near them I totally support that, but I can't let you think you're the one doing the hurting. I didn't watch over any of them whimpering in pain from your bonds. You even protected Clint from being pulverized by the Tesseract. Yeah I saw that!" He told her. "You put Tess back in her box because he wouldn't leave your side and he might have touch her accidently" he added when he saw her trying to hide her grin by chewing her lips. "If you really want out, I'll make sure they don't come after you ever, that they stop putting SHIELD's resources into looking after you. According to Thor you were supposed to find us so we would protect Tess, you've done your part."

He put his beer down and took the few steps separating their chairs kneeling next to her as he had done when she woke up at the Tower.

"If you ran away because you don't want to be hurt by getting attached to a group of superheroes who throw their bodies on grenades to saves civilians, I should tell you it's too late."

"Hey! You did that" she said giggling.

"They put it in the comics? Seriously?" Steve looked at her uncredulous.

"No!" She shook her head. "Peggy told me that story." she said smiling before she saw his face. "Shit Steve I am sorry I didn't think." She hugged him whispering, "See I hurt people."

"You know Peggy?" He asked in a sob.

"Went to college with her great niece, she brought me to see her a few times. She's in a nursing home in Washington. It's a really nice place." she rambled. "I am sure you could go and visit, she has Alzheimer so sometimes she thinks it's still 1945 for real but she is a really cool old lady."

Darcy kept apologizing until he was back from his shock. "I am sorry, I feel like I stole something from you by spending time with her."

"Don't be silly." He smiled at her, "It's been 70 years I am glad she didn't spend them alone."

"Steve even if I admitted to missing them, which I am not" she tutted him when he tried to protest. "I have school to go back to, Tony paid for everything, and I shouldn't just give everything up to play Princess in the Tower."

"I heard they had Universities in NY. Did you know that?" Steve joked.

"Idiot" she laughed trying to push him away in vain, her mom had said he was 90% muscles. "I like the teachers at Culver."

"Aren't Bruce and Betty teachers at Culver?" he retorted.

"Science teachers, Steve, I am a politic major." She told him proudly.

"And Tony's paying for a Political degree? I saw footage of his hearings on the internet." He said crooking an eyebrow at her.

"He felt guilty for the way I met Betty" she told him hoping someone had clued him in. "That or Phil forced him to."

"They didn't tell me any of your stories, only what was useful for me to grab a hold on the bonding principle." He explained without being asked. "And you don't need to tell them to me either."

"Maybe some other time." she nodded.

"Does that mean you're coming back to NY?" he asked his face lightning up.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked chewing at her lips again, she only did it when she was nervous but she knew it was a big tell.

"Sure."

"I haven't slept in a week." she told him.

"Darcy!" Steve let out abruptly.

"I mean I took cat naps here and there for an hour or two several times a day, mostly with April but I want to go back home." She told him realizing for the first time that for her home meant Tasha and Clint, and she was sure once she'll get to know them the Avengers too.

"Come on!" he said standing up and taking her hands so he could drag her along. "Where is your room?"

"What is it with Avengers wanting to get to my room without buying me dinner first?" she joked and laughed when he started blushing. "Come on Captain, you can help me pack my underwear." she said just to see him blush harder.

"We aren't packing yet, your mom said you'll have the house 'till tonight, I'll keep guard while you sleep." he explained.

"Eavesdropping much?" she said pushing her door open.

"Super-soldier hearing." he countered stopping on the threshold.

"You don't have X-ray vision like Superman right?" She said but didn't wait for him to answer. "I am going to the bathroom to change" she told him taking out the SHIELD shirt she had been wearing at the tower and pajama pants before going into the en-suited of her room. "Do you have anything to wear? Because I am a 100% sure you won't fit into Danny's clothes my step-father looks more like the 'you' from before the serum." She looked at him blushing again. "Nothing wrong with that, I tend to not think about him that way because he is married to my mom, but my aunt and my friend Sharon both told me he is really cute."

"I am fine as I am Darcy, my clothes are back at the Motel." he told her turning around to face the wall even though she was closing the door, she had to roll her eyes at that or they would get mad at her.

"You came in the city with the most luxurious extravagant hotels of the country and you booked a Motel room?" she asked adjusting her shirt as she got out of the bathroom. Clint's shirt wasn't exactly fitting her breast right but she liked wearing it to sleep, it was all soft from wearing it a lot he had explained.

"It's okay, I am all decent again." she sighed when she realized he was still facing the wall.

"I prefer motels, the Battle of New York got some footage showing me without my **mask** and I don't want to attract attention." He explained.

"Plus there is that all Johnny thing, he used to come here a lot before the Fantastic Four. Did you check him out?" She asked making a face.

"I asked JARVIS but I really don't see It." he said shaking his head.

"Keep telling yourself that." She told him while slipping between the sheets. She watched as Steve walked over the arm chair she uses to get April to sleep for their afternoon naps. "Cap, I kind of realize I should have said that sooner but if you want me to sleep you're going to have to come over here and cuddle with me."

"I... " he spluttered, remembering the few times in his hovering shift where he watched Clint do this with her from the door before sending him to Fury, or to eat, looking at how hard it was for the man to tear himself away from her arms. "No!" He looked between the chair, Darcy and the spare space next to her blushing so red she started to think he would never get back to normal.

"It's not..." She was starting but lying to Captain America was bad, even though she had also used Tasha and Sharon as pillows, what she really wanted was to get back to sleeping in Clint's arms, she always felt safe there. "Okay we can try it your way." She assured him letting her head fall on the pillows.

"Are you going to sleep that way?" He asked hesitantly.

"Nope because it's totally creepy to have someone looking at you while you're sleeping, too much like when I got kidnapped." she informed him honestly.

"You were what?" he cried out.

"It's a long story." she atoned pushing herself up onto her elbows so she could look at him. "Just Betty's dad, he wanted to test the limits of my bonds after an accident I had when Tony got kidnapped in Afghanistan. But on the up side that's how I met Betty, she is the one who got me out of there." she recoiled smiling.

"That doesn't make it sound better at all." Steve chocked out.

"Duh! Why do you think they didn't tell you?" She asked. ' _Why do you think I can't sleep'_ she kept to herself.

"Okay, scoot over." he told her sitting at the end of the bed to take of his shoes.

"Yeah cuddling." She giggled before scooting over.

Darcy felt asleep as soon as she felt the heat slipping through the super soldier's body surrounding her. When she woke up, it was to Steve trying to wake her up by whispering things into her ear, even with her eyes closed she knew that the sun was starting to set Las Vegas sun tended to be bright behind her eyelids any other time of the day. She grunted and pushed her self-further into his stomach, or at least tried, Captain America made for a really hard pillow.

"Darcy! It's 7pm. What time are your parents coming back?" Steve asked her all gentle voice.

"Around midnight." She mumbled trying to get her own hair out of her face.

"What about your sister?" He inquired.

"Aunt Shelbey." She continued to mumble.

"Do you still want to come back to NY?" He asked. She nodded her head against his abs, sighing.

"I think we should call JARVIS so someone would come and pick you up." He told her.

"Motorcycle" She reminded him.

"It's okay it'll fit into the jet." He informed her.

"I meant, we could ride back to the tower." She finally lifted her head to look at him.

"I promise you rides when we're back, but I think the team needs you to come back now." He explains.

"Us" she told him, "You're their leader and you left too, they need us to come back."

"I don't think of myself as their leader." He told her self-conscious "I am the youngest, I have the least experience, Clint or Natasha would be better leaders."

She shook her head, Captain America was full of crap. "Tasha needs someone to believe in her capacities, she needs to be praised for her good work, but never tell her directly, she knows she did good all by herself so you have to be subtle, she needs people to still love her even if she has to do dirty work sometimes, I used to call her after her mission and we would talk all night. She is really good at making decisions for herself, and pushing people to decide for themselves but leading would be stressful, she would put too much pressure on not being too harsh and she hates admitting when she worries about people. Plus she gets deadly protective and that would never end well." She told him. "I still have to ask her if by any chance she knows what happened to my Self Defense class teacher."

"And Clint?" he asked.

"Clint is different, he had difficulties thinking that he was worth all the efforts Phil had put into him, and that was before Loki, I saw how he was around the tower, looking at every doors, but not looking for exit strategies like he used to, he was waiting for SHIELD to invade the Tower and arrest him. He would make a great leader because he believes in people, he got Tasha to defect, he doesn't really follow protocols outside of the field, he is more of an instinct and heart kind of guy, but I read you're like that too. He's just going to need time to build himself back up and feel like he earned the trust you had in him when you brought him with you to NY. You could help a lot with that. But he would take it as you being convinced he deserve punishment if you walked away now."

"Wow you..." Steve started but she shushed him.

"You met them 10 days ago, I've known them since I was little. That's not even talking about the fact that Hulk obeyed your orders on the field." She said.

"I told him to smash things it wasn't exactly a hard ship." He scowled.

"Don't underestimate yourself, I am pretty sure General Paininmyass, tried that too and he got himself smashed." She smirked.

"Oh and don't forget Tony, he needs this to work out." she nodded to herself. "You came all the way here to convince me to go back, you can't actually tell me you did it to let them down?"

"I don't know if I can do it not so soon after the Commando." He admitted.

"Oh sure, you could tell yourself that for a while... Then something is going to happen that will require the Avengers and you're going to beat yourself up for not being there."

"Says the gal who ran away." He retorted.

"Hey, that's no fair." She said hitting him on the side of the head with her pillow. "I only have 6 adrenaline junkies to look at for, you're going to feel responsible for everybody, including civilians." She said poking her finger into his shoulder.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Steve laughed taking her finger in his hand, probably to keep her from hurting herself on his muscles.

"You jump, I jump, Jack!" she told him tilting her head.

Steve staid in her bed when he called JARVIS asking if someone could come pick him up at Vegas. He didn't tell them she was with him or that she agreed to come back. ETA was 3 hours, Steve helped Darcy pack her bags, then dropped her at her aunt's house so she could say her goodbyes to her sister while he went back to take his duffle back from his motel room. He came back an hour later and waited for her to join him on the street after a last hug from her aunt, they made a quick stop by the Hotel her mother was working at so she could tell her she was going back to Culver, Steve didn't think she should lie but at the same time JARVIS had asked her on the first day not to talk about the tower. They drove into the desert at a snail pace, Steve not confident in her ability to manage their bags while not falling of the bike if he was going at his usual speed.

When they finally arrived at the small airfield JARVIS indicated, Stark's jet was already waiting for them, with all the Avengers on the tarmac. Darcy squeezed Steve's waist a little tighter and he pulled one of his hands on hers briefly to reassure her.

"It's okay, they are going to be happy" She told herself when they finally stopped.

When he saw her Clint went back into the plane and Darcy suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here.

"It was all a mistake" she told Steve once he shut off the engine.

"He'll get over it." he retorted.

"I don't want him to get over it. You said they wanted me to come back." She accused him getting herself off the bike and stepping away from it, away from the Avengers. "You don't understand I can feel it." She said walking backward into the night. "I shouldn't be here."

"Darce!" she heard Clint from the plane, where he was standing with what looked like a tiny Iron robot in his hands. She stopped moving the night more or less concealing her and watched as he approached. "Here." he said pushing the robot in her hands, it was beeping happily. "Tony made it for you." She looked up surprised.

"He... Why?" She asked Clint but she looked over his shoulder at Tony who was talking to Steve probably about the bike.

"He thought you might want a friend to stay with you, one who didn't have bonds forcing awful things on you." He told her his voice wobbling.

"Clint, you don't..." She didn't know how to finish that thought so she put her little new friend on the tarmac to hug Clint tightly. "I missed you so damn much" she whispered to him, glaring at a smiling Steve ' _Damn super hearing'_

Clint didn't answer he just squeezed her closer to him, his hands playing automatically with her hair when she let out a happy sigh.

"I want to go home." She told him.

"I'll get you to Culver tomorrow." He assured her.

She shook her head the best she could with his fingers massaging her head, "You're my home, you and the others, and Betty and Jane and Sharon. When I went back to Culver after Puente Antiguo, I felt so lonely, you promised you wouldn't let it happen again."

"I won't Darce, I won't." he promised pulling her tighter, his smell was surrounding her she was so tired she could have fallen asleep right there where she was safe.

"Kids! The bike is on the plane we are waiting for you." They heard Tony yelling, making Clint laugh.

"He isn't even that much older than me." He sighed detangling them so they could get to the jet.

"Hey wait!" She stopped him and sat on her heels "I didn't forget about you buddy, come on we have a plane to take." she told the little robots who had wandered a few feet away, reaching out to him with both arms open. She pulled him in her arms and they went to join the others.


	16. A place you would want to call home

**A place you would want to call home.**

They all had questions, wanted to know why Darcy left and why she chose to come back. Bruce was pacing mumbling to himself, almost making it sound like he was talking to Hulk, trying to talk the Big Guy out of crashing the plane just to be able to see the young woman, and honestly everybody looked relieved that it was working. Darcy spend the 2:30 hours of the flight back laying curled up on her seat, her head on Clint's lap, she didn't so much as move, only whimpering lightly every time he took his hand out of her hair.

"I should have asked Betty to come with us." Tony said half way through, watching as Darcy started to snore lightly enough not to be heard over their voices. "She looks sick and tired"

"I promised her but I think you should know." Steve started, he really looked torn by the idea of telling them something she wanted to keep secret, but Clint was grateful to see that the Captain, even though he wasn't bonded to their girl, cared about her.

"You don't have to Steve, whatever it is, it'll be okay she is here now." Natasha assured him when she came back from the wet bar with sodas for everyone.

"I am not sure that's going to be enough." Steve told them getting everyone's attention, Bruce's eyes as green as Darcy's had been on the video. "She hasn't slept since she left the tower, and even while she was there I am not sure she actually slept." They all looked at him strangely, Darcy slept for days when she was at the Tower it didn't make any sense. "Look she told me she hadn't slept more than 2 hours at a time, and only if she had her little sister with her, she slept for 4 hours straight when I was there but only after I agreed to settle on the bed with her…"

Clint automatically pulled Darcy closer to him when he heard that, which was crazy he knew it, he had no problem sharing the snuggling duties he took on in Puente Antiguo with Tasha, even Tony did some form of it one time, Darcy had been laying her head on his legs while he was working on his tablet when he had come back to the room that time, but for some reason knowing that Steve got her to sleep made him jealous.

"She heard us talk about the bonds, she knows Tony wished for the Tesseract to take it away, or that Natasha didn't like to see her hurt from it. Those are things we only said while she was sleeping." Steve finished.

"So what she was faking sleeping? 40 hours is a long time to fake that!" Bruce grunted.

"No I don't think so, I just think she wasn't as deeply asleep as we thought, like when we used to fall asleep in the forest in Europe. We slept because we needed to but we could still hear every little animal sounds or the talk of the guards" It was the first time Steve was talking to them about his time before the plane crash, and of course it was to prove a point. "I think we all know how it is, your body is asleep but your mind is still working overtime and you don't really feel rested when you wake up."

"So what? You think she just doesn't sleep? Because we all spend time with her… she was sleeping deeply!" Tony countered.

"The only reason I agreed to get on her bed was because she admitted it wasn't going to be effective otherwise." Steve informed them.

"We'll make a sleep schedule until we can make sure she is well rested." Bruce suggested. "She'll be able to sleep on her own after that."

"I don't think so." Natasha told them.

"You don't want to cuddle with her?" Clint asked teasing to hide the fact that he was seriously worried the plan wouldn't work.

"Not what I mean, it's just…" Natasha took out her phone. "When you were with Selvig…" She said to Clint, "She texted me every night, I was in Europe so I didn't pay attention to the hours at the time, but we used to talk all night several times a week."

"Are you trying to tell us she hasn't slept since I left Puente Antiguo?" Clint tried really hard not to yell so he wouldn't wake her. "Jane would have said something."

"By Jane you mean Dr Foster right?" Tony asked and Clint nodded. "If she is even half as science crazy as Bruce and I are she can go on for days working only on caffeine then she would crash asleep on any available surface…" Tony stated "pretty sure as long as she had coffee and food she wouldn't notice if Darcy was wearing a bright yellow chicken outfit to work."

"But they are friends, Darcy keeps getting her from staying too long into her scientific frenzy." Clint argued.

"And Darcy kept Tony's poising from her for a month before Phil and you came in." Natasha countered. "You know she is good at hiding."

Clint growled. Darcy was going to be a hard nut to crack. "We need to talk to her. We need to know why she left and what we can do for her to never do that again." He concluded.

They spend the rest of the flight discussing how they would go about it without getting Darcy to feel trapped.

When the plane finally landed Darcy was still sound asleep and Clint had trouble even thinking about waking her up.

"Steve wait!" he called out when the plan landed and Steve opened the door. "I need you to take her."

Steve looked taken aback. "What? No!"

"Look I don't like it okay..." He admitted getting everyone's attention to them, "Not the 'let Steve lift her' part" He told their audience, "Just..." He looked down at the sleeping girl. "To do it myself I'll have to move her into my arms, it will wake her up, but you can take her on without jolting her."

Steve looked around him for something Clint couldn't discerned, approval from the others, a volunteer to take his place maybe. Whatever it was he didn't find it.

"Steve!" Clint jolted him out of his thoughts, "I NEED you to take her away from me now, please." Clint added, if Captain America had hesitated a minute longer, he would have caved and taken the risk of waking her up over letting the other man carry her. Steve took one look at Clint before he bended over folding Darcy into his arms without her so much as whimpering.

"Get her into the limo and Happy will drive you back to the tower." Tony whispered to Steve, or at least Clint thought he was whispering, their voices sounded further than they should have been.

"But what about you guys?" Steve asked concerned.

"I have other cars in the hangar." Tony told him before reassuring him. "We'll be 5 min maybe 10 behind you, just get her to the penthouse Pepper organized everything."

Steve finally went out of the plane, Clint could see Tasha counting in her head so he would be far away not to hear whatever she had to say.

"I am fine Tasha, I didn't want to wake her and she's been sleeping on me for more than 2 hours I'd have to stretch my legs a little if I'd wanted to carry her out of the plane." He explained, and even if it was only half true he hoped she would buy it.

Clint took Buddy under his arm, the little robot making unhappy noises and started to stand up when Natasha pushed him back in and he was faced with 3 worried people.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"You're not going to disappear!" Tasha stated.

"I had no intention of doing that." He admitted honestly.

"So what the hell is wrong with you?" Tony yelled.

"Nothing's wrong with me Stark." Clint sighed, he didn't need to be yelled at.

"Yeah tell that to someone else Smartass," Tony said "Where were you all week?"

"The Tower." Clint tried out to be answer by a deep growl from Bruce. "Okay no need for Hulk to get involved... I swear I was in the tower, I just like finding secret spots I can hide in and look over everyone."

"JARVIS is specifically made for that." Tony told him. "You could have used your room and he would have given you access to video feeds on public spaces."

"It's not the same. I'll still be too far if something happened." Clint let out without meaning to.

"You're not responsible for everyone's safety." Tasha sighed sitting herself next to him. "Is that why you hadn't sleep since she's been gone?" Tasha finally asked, he knew she had been dying to know since she figured it out.

Clint shrugged. "Tony hadn't slept either." Clint tried to take the focus off of him.

"I was busy making 'Buddy', I'll have to talk to Darcy about that name, and anyway Pepper made sure to switch my coffee to decaf' once a day so I would fall asleep for a few hours. Plus Space isn't as dream worthy as people make it out to be." he admitted to no one's surprise.

"Yeah well neither is dreaming about killing the people you care about." Clint spitted out. He knew he was tired but he hadn't realized just how much until now.

"Clint you didn't kill anyone." Tasha assured him, sure the attack on the Hellicarrier had had a lot of casualties but she had made sure Fury showed him the videos and it was true, if they didn't count the people working on deck when his arrow exploded he didn't kill anyone directly. It didn't mean he couldn't feel guilty about the 'almost' possibilities or about the fact that he was the reason ennemies got onboard and Phil got killed.

"Then why did she go?" Clint whispered but the silence on the jet made it clear everyone heard him.

"We'll add that to the questions we should ask her." Tony said walking toward the door of the plane, their time was up.

"Clint, can you actually move?" Bruce finally asked.

"To the car yes, for a marathon or a mission not so much." He admitted the blow on his back when he flew into the building window hadn't been that worrying at first than he went to sleep with Darcy keeping her in his arms while he slept on his side, he only started to feel the pain on the car to Washington, and then they were told about Darcy's departure and he only focused on making sure no one else was disappearing, making sure he could show them he could be a valuable member of the team if something bad came to happen, on the flight over he had been pacing a lot but having to stay almost still to not wake Darcy up had done a number on his lower back.

"Lift off your shirt!" Tasha ordered him helping him stand up. He hadn't actually look at himself in a mirror for anything other than shave after a shower but he had a pretty good idea about the size of the blow-out the others were silently staring at. "Jesus Barton!" She cried out. He was so going to pay for that.

"Tell me when it hurts." Bruce told him gently probing at the bruising. It wasn't his first time and neither was it Bruce's he knew the man wanted for him to tell where the pain was the most insufferable not that his gentle touches felt like being stabbed repeatedly.

"Okay there stop." Clint finally sobbed when Bruce found a very tender spot.

"I am assuming those came from your quiver." Bruce asked and Clint nodded obediently. "I don't think you broke anything or, strong willingness or not, you wouldn't be able to move, the pain seems to be worsen on the left, I assume it's due to the hard edge of the quiver when you fell, not close enough to the spine to have damaged it." With that he turned Clint toward him. "You should have told us. If anything because you must be in a lot of pain and we could have alleviated it."

Clint didn't even had time to process before Tasha hugged him which was both meant as a nice gesture while making sure he remembered not to do it again for a while.

"That was uncalled for." He protested.

"You're a freaking idiot." She told him before turning her back to him talking to Bruce and Tony as if he wasn't even there. "He thinks he should be in pain, that he deserves it. We all know it." Looking at the contrite looks on the other men faces she must have touch a sour spot.

"Barton get in the car, JARVIS is ordering you some pain killers." Tony told him before pushing lightly on his shoulders so he would move toward the exit.

"I won't take anything until we talk to Darcy." Clint negotiated and the others agreed.

The trio went back to the tower and were meet by a worried Steve as soon as they got out of the elevator.

"What now?" Tony asked.

"There is a giant bed in the living room." Steve told them.

"So what?" To his credit, Tony really looked like he had no idea what was wrong with that sentence.

"Why is there a giant bed in the living room?" Steve tried a different approach.

"So we could all have some sleep." Tony answered as if it was all a normal concept.

"But why?" Steve repeated.

"Darcy's room is too small for everybody to sleep or hover in it... there is like 10 apartment floors in the tower if we want to do anything that necessitate a living room we'll go into one of them." Tony was making sense and that scared Clint a little. "You did put Darcy in the living room right?" Tony asked crocking his eyebrow at Steve.

"I did what Pepper told me to." He assured them before leading the way to the room.

Clint could understand why the concept had been strange to Steve, when the man had talked about a 'giant bed' Clint imagined a mattress maybe the size of two queens assembled, when Tony said they could all sleep on it he added one for good measure they were not going to pile up. But what he faced when they entered the living room was nothing close to what he could have ever imagined. Pepper had apparently manage to cover the entire space between the bar and the wall-tv from the stairs to the windows with mattresses, sheets that even looked soft, enough pillows to block out the view if they wanted to and bottles of water all around for good measure.

"Ah finally" Pepper surprised them. "You should all be able to find sleeping clothing in your respective rooms, please remember this is a sleeping place not an orgy wear clothes." That last part was clearly meant for Tony but from the look on the man's face it hadn't even occurred to him before she spoke about it, although Clint was sure it would have been once he was alone changing.

Pepper had been nice enough not to buy them ridiculous PJ's, she went for tasteful sweat pants and plain shirts instead, for which everybody seemed grateful when he came back to them. Tasha had traded hers for her usual short silky shorts and a black thank top with nice lace on the hems but it was still appropriate and none of the men thought about complaining especially since Pepper was wearing something similar but with pants and Betty was wearing one of Bruce's unhulked shirt over shorts, Darcy was the only one fully dressed but none of them had wanted to wake her up.

"I feel overdressed." They all heard snapping their heads toward the voice, Clint wanted to run to her but the best he could do was walk limping, he heard Steve starting to ask about it but someone had shut him out before he could finish.

"You should be sleeping." He told Darcy gathering her in his arms ignoring both his back pain and the disapproving looks Bruce was giving him.

"I slept on the plane I am fine." She told him chipper. Well that prove the Captain's theory, because they hadn't been discreet about their talk on the flight here but she didn't seem to have heard a pip of it sleeping too deeply.

"Darce!" He simply said and she looked sharply at Steve, betrayal all over her face. "Hey don't do that to him, he was worried about you, we all were, and honestly I haven't slept either, Tony barely slept too so maybe it was our fault, we don't know." He hadn't even thought about it like that on the plane but it was possible with the bonds still in place.

"You shouldn't have to worry about things like that." she mumbled half hiding her face into his shoulder.

"Darce you can't think like that." Tasha tried.

"You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot think." Darcy burst out. "Just because you followed me and hovered for a few years you think you know me? You know nothing about me, don't ever tell me what I should think ever again."

Darcy's eyes were slowly turning dark green all over.

"Darce, I am sure she didn't..." was all he had time to say before Darcy pushed him away from her standing up.

"You are no better." She sputtered. "You passed me over to Steve like it wouldn't matter. I knew this was all a bad idea. None of you want me here, you just want to stop filling guilty for all the hurtful things that happened to me. Guess what people, I grew up and dealt with it, maybe you should too."

She started walking over to the elevator but was faced with a really sad Giant Green Not-so-Monsterish at the moment.

"Hulk sorry." he told her gently pointing a finger at her.

"You can't just bargin' in my head like that." She yelled at him, but instead of smashing her Hulk sat down pouting, which was not a look Clint had been ready to see on Hulk. "I know it's not your fault, but it's going to take time to adjust and I can't be around them while that happened." She turned and encompassed all of them with her hand. "I don't want to hurt them more by telling things I am not even sure I believe in." She tried to explain to him.

"Hulk understand." He said but didn't move from blocking the access to the elevator. He watched Darcy from head to toes before putting one of his giant fingers over her mouth meticulous enough not to block her nose so she could still breathe. "Darcy shush Hulk think of another way."

She nodded and everyone waited while Hulk figured out something they had no idea about. After about 5 minutes the Big Guy smirked and released Darcy's mouth.

"Took you long enough, Tyra!" She yelled at him before shaking her head and looking sheepish as if she hadn't meant to.

"Darcy goes somewhere else." Everybody started to protest but Darcy turned around and send out a death glare that even had Tasha staggered a little. "Teeny Betty and Pepper go with." He said pointing out the two woman. "Do not leave the tower!"

"I know where we can go." Pepper told him before turning toward Darcy, "We don't know each other well enough for you to yell at me, but maybe Betty should stay here." She suggested and Darcy was about to acquiesce when Hulk interrupted her.

"Teeny Betty can't stay, Puny Banner doesn't like her near Hulk." That settled it.

The three women left the floor using the stairs.

"So what's your super plan Big Guy?" Clint asked hoping he had been cheerful and wouldn't end up as a permanent fixture on the wall.

"Avengers stay here, House make Darcy watch video so Avengers ask question while she isn't mad at them because of Hulk." As Hulk exposed his plan JARVIS put up a feed from Pepper, Darcy and Betty, showing them as they entered what looked to be a winter garden on top of the penthouse. Darcy looked calmer already.

"What do you mean because of Hulk?" Tony asked as they watched the women taking place on rattan furniture close to yet another bar, Clint just assumed Tony had put some in every floor, they had their glasses already in hand and JARVIS had put a holographic screen so Darcy could watch as they were going along with Hulk's plan.

"I think it would be easier if I do the explanation." Darcy told them. "So the first time my bond with Hulk appeared I didn't really realized, it just took the physical pain I was getting from Tony away long enough for me to talk him down, I only know it came from him because I heard you talking later. I guess today I kind of borrowed his anger, I didn't meant to but you were all hovering and it just happened."

"That's going to require more Intel." Tony mumbled but was stopped by Hulk "No hurting Darcy!" Tony put both hands in the air in a peaceful gesture and walked away from the screen "I meant in a secure not threatening way, what happens if she really gets mad at one of us and you suddenly feel like smashing that person." But all it got him was a smirk from Hulk so the subject was better let to die.

"Darce can you tell us why you left?" Tasha tried.

"I'd rather not." Darcy muttered before taking a long sip of her drink. "But I guess it wouldn't be helpful." She sighed curling up on her chair. "Ground rules?" she asked and everybody agreed. "No one gets to judge, tell me I am wrong or say it was stupid, I can't help feeling this way and it wouldn't be fair to blame me for it." Once again everybody agreed. "And I don't want any pitiful looks afterward, I want to stay here, with you, coming back was my choice, I even convinced Captain America to cut his grieving tour short so no one gets to suddenly think I am fragile or in need of special attention, understood?" After everyone agreed to her terms for the third time she loosen up a little.

"JARVIS can Buddy get up here?" She asked before talking to any of them and Clint watched as the little robot he had left next to the stairs made his way to the elevator going around Steve's legs, sure enough 2 minutes later Buddy was in the winter garden beeping happily at Darcy who patted him on the head before telling him to go explore the garden. "You'll have to tell me what he can actually do Tony."

"Only if you change his name." Tony countered but Pepper laughed and he admitted his defeat.

"So Steve already knows some parts of the story because he has really effective puppy like eyes and because watching him trying to follow my craziness hurt my soul. We'll fix that with time and pop culture lessons Cap." She told the now blushing 6" tall blond, that man was fierceful on the field but an adorable dork out of it. "And someone as to get him up to speed on Johnny Storm." She told them making a face, they all turned toward the Captain who looked like he would rather battle aliens again than be there.

"How is it that she is the only who thought about it before? They look like twins, you know if one was the devil on your shoulder and the other the angel." Tony offered.

"Darcy!" Steve said in a neutral tone. "Stop distracting them, it's only going to take longer." Good the captain only spend a few hours with her but he seemed to have figure out the particularities of Darcy's escape plans pretty fast, then again he was the 'man with a plan' himself.

"Fine. I know you don't want me here. So I left. There I said it." But before any of them could say anything she added. "To be fair I was at my mom's I didn't disappear I could have, I've done it before."

"And it ended up so well for you." Tasha said rolling her eyes before realizing what she had said and trying to take it back.

"Not like Tony's planning on getting kidnapped again, so I have like 80% chance of not ending up in any danger." Darcy said bluntly. "Maybe 60% if Ross was behind any of the not so subtle men who followed me back to Culver." She winced looking at Betty and mouthing 'Sorry' but Betty waved it off.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tony yelled already typing things on his tablet ordering JARVIS to do a scan of the streets around the tower and recall the past week feeds to do it over it too.

 _I can confirm that several individuals appeared to have left the shops around the tower at the same time Darcy left, but I can neither confirm nor deny that they were actually following her._

"Right, they just happened to be at the station, they just happened to be taking the same train, they just happened to all get off the train at Culver and they happened to stop going the same direction I was going for as soon as I entered Culver University ground because they all have a thing against undergrad students." Darcy deadpanned.

 _I can only confirm facts I have information on since you left me in Williamsburg I can only confirm that they were keeping constant eyes contact with you until then._

The AI sounded hurt, because of course Tony Stark would have created an AI capable of guilty-ing people into being careful, not that Clint faulted the idea. Darcy for her part looked like she had been properly chastised and Pepper hugged her.

"JARVIS!" Tony tamed the AI although the tone of his voice sounded more proud than disapproving. "Are there still people spying on the tower at the moment?" he asked and they all braced themselves for the answer.

 _I can sort out 15 incoherent behaviors from people surrounding the towers, from facial recognition and with access to SHIELD's files..._

"That no one heard you talk about." Tony tested out with no one contradicting him.

 _Of course Sir. I could say with absolute certainty that 9 of those occurrences are from SHIELD employees._

"Which certainly means over 20 SHIELD's agents are surveilling the tower and it's done around the clock." Tasha informed the others, Clint was pretty certain her number wasn't high enough but he couldn't be sure, he had paid more attention on the safety of the people inside the tower, not thinking about the outside.

"What about the other 6?" Steve asked.

 _I am afraid I didn't find any files on them on any data bases I have access to Captain._

"Which I assume means every databases available?" He asked Tony who nodded, more worried than proud, looking between the outside and Hulk.

"Hulk is upset, but Hulk won't smash Tin Man's building." The green giant told him smiling.

"Thanks Pal, but I was actually thinking about eyesight." Tony turned and grabbed Clint to get him to the balcony. "Okay Hawkeye, tell me something, do you think someone could be watching through our window from anywhere around here?"

Clint surveyed the buildings around them, Tony's was the highest of the block but there were higher buildings that could give perfect eyesight a few block away, with the right equipment someone could keep watch on them but no listening device would get that far.

"There are three possible direct sight lines." Clint informed him, getting Tony back inside.

"JARVIS black out the windows." Tony had just get the windows changed even though he was still planning of remodeling a big part of the building. "And ask Clint to take a look at the new plan see if we need to reorient the Living areas."

 _Noted Sir. Agent Barton you'll find a copy of the working plan in your room._

JARVIS informed him, which was still weird even though both Pepper and Tony had also started calling it their rooms as soon as they came back from Washington.

"What about the men outside?" Darcy asked reminding them of why they were here in the first place.

"JARVIS is keeping an eye on them and I ..." Tony typed something before smiling at her "Send out an alert to Fury so SHIELD's agents are going to either take them out which wouldn't be smart or use them to get intel on who hired them and why. Either way, we can't do anything about it tonight." Tony concluded. "So let's get back to more interesting subjects like why you thought we didn't want you here?"

Darcy started grinding her teeth onto her bottom lip again and Clint wanted nothing more than to go over there to smooth it out.

"I heard you saying you hoped Tess would take the bonds away, and Tasha looked at me like I was about to break if she get anymore injuries." Darcy answered honestly. "Bruce wouldn't even come near me," she said visibly hurt.

"Puny Banner, stupid." Hulk commented. "Puny Banner think Hulk only angry, Hulk only smash."

"Which clearly you don't, so we'll talk to him about it when he's back." Steve told him surprising Tony who was ready to argue with Hulk.

"Hulk like Captain." He said all smile again. "Captain trust Hulk."

"I don't see why not." Steve said, subtly watching Clint. Clint still had trouble understanding why Captain America took him in when he had no reason to trust him after he had just wreaked havoc on the Hellicarrier, Tasha had tried the 'I vouched for you' but Steve didn't know her better then him so it wasn't any comfort.

"Darce, you have to know it was not what I meant. Do I like the fact that you were covered in MY bruises? No. Did I stop fighting because you were? Still no. I am more concerned about how you dealt with some of it and how to make sure you would stay where you can get medical help when I am on mission so I don't have to think about what my work does to you." Tasha explained it might have sound cold to someone who didn't know her but Clint could hear the concern, the pleading in her voice.

"I'll stay 10 min away from a hospital at all time." Darcy agreed nodding her head. "But just so you know I got pretty crafty at stitching myself up, it's just really tricky when it's on my back, but most of your injuries would raise questions I can't answer so I had to learn. And I have to admit if you get shot again I wouldn't mind somewhere where I can get a blood transfusion because I might not feel the pain but the blood loss was no fun, and the stain killed my favorite dress." Darcy had explained only looking at Tasha and she had the right idea as everyone else in the room slowly discomposed over hearing her talk about her bond to Tasha and what she had to do to keep it on the down low. They would make sure she was safe and looked after when Tasha was on mission. "On the plus side I don't have a single scar from it... They always go away as they appeared, which isn't easy to explain either."

"I'll buy you another dress." Tasha offered with a true smile. Darcy was in good hands at the tower Clint had no doubt about it, but she sure would want to go out at some points, and they couldn't treat her like a prisoner, they'll have to talk about that another time.

"It's on me." Tony stated but Darcy tutted him.

"Nope not happening, you're already paying for school that's more than enough, I will never be able to repay you for it." Darcy told him.

"Great because I don't want you to." He pouted. On screen Pepper leaned over to whisper something in Darcy's ear that made her laugh. Clint observed as not 3 as he had assumed but all 4 people around him battle more or less efficiently against the jealous feeling of another person making Darcy laugh for the first time, but he could see it, because he was feeling it too. Hulk crushed one of the water bottles laying around.

"Hulk sorry." He said handing the remains of the bottle to Tony.

"It's okay Big Guy." Tony said handing him a towel that Clint hadn't noticed before as they were hidden behind pillows. "But maybe you should let Bruce come back so he can tell Darcy why he wants her to be here."

"Puny Bruce stupid." Hulk spattered.

"We already established that, but he agreed to help me make a Hulk secured place so you could come out and play so he is not so bad." Tony offered.

"Hulk smash?" He asked grinning like a 5 years old on Christmas.

"I am sure we can find some stuff for you to smash, like old cars or walls." Tony looked like he was imagining it as he spoke.

"Hulk needs Darcy." He stated.

"Yep, on my way." Pepper and Betty were starting to follow her but she turned around and stopped them. "Oh no I am so coming back here until bed time." She had to have run the stairs down to the penthouse to arrive so quickly.

"Hey Hulk," She said lightly caressing his hand. "I can still feel you when you're Bruce you know." and the Big Guy nodded, "But it's almost sleepy time, and nothing interesting happens on sleepy time so you might as well let Bruce take over okay?" Hulk grunted but sat on the center of the bed and curled up on himself slowly whimpering as he changed back into Bruce, with Steve's help Darcy went over to him and traced soothing circles on his back as Tasha had taken on doing to her when she was sleeping. It only took a minute for them to get Bruce back, a very naked Bruce Clint notice tossing a cover to a tomato red Steve who looked like he wanted to cover the eyes of an ogling Darcy but she kept pushing his hand away, not caring that Betty was watching the scene. A quick glance at the screen told him that Betty really didn't seem to care and was finding the scene pretty funny.

As soon as Bruce was covered Darcy darted out of the room to get back to the upper level.

"So whose turn is it?" She ask taking the colorful drink Pepper was handing her, seating back on the rattan chair.

"Mine I guess before I fall asleep but I'd rather not do that naked so I'll pass for now." Bruce told her.

"I'll cover for you." Tony said happily. "Darcy! First thing first you absolutely did not hurt me when we met, actually apart from the utter panic of not knowing how to make your pain stop I had never felt more free and light in my entire life." He told her ignoring the looks from everyone else. Team bonding wasn't fun. "Secondly I never ever thought that you should go away." He stated. "Did I wish the Tesseract would take the bonds away? Hell Yes and twice over. Do I feel guilty over the things that happened to you? Definitely and I will never be able to forget about it. But it doesn't mean that I didn't want to keep you if the bond had disappeared or that I would have stopped paying for school and stuff. I just wanted you to stop hurting." He finished almost angry.

"You're Tony Stark." Darcy said. "How I am supposed to compete with that? I'll never be good enough to deserve what you're offering."

"What the Fuck…?" Tony exploded. "Not good enough? Have you met me? You ask for us to not judge you for whatever Intel we gathered on you but you don't seem to have a problem with prejudices when it's about others."

"Hum Tony!" Steve interrupted him. "You realize that she complimented you right?"

"So what?" Tony growled. "Good or bad prejudice is still prejudice. If she doesn't want to be here because she think I am too rich, too famous, too smart, it's no different than not wanting to get near me over my past man-whore habits, or my drunkenness."

"Sorry" Darcy sobbed, she was usually tougher than that but she was surely too tired to fake it right now.

"Stop being sorry for everything." Tony told her. "No one forced me to do anything, I paid for Culver because you're bright, you faked besting your tests over and over just so you wouldn't stand out, it takes talents to do that and not get caught by anyone who wasn't looking for it specifically." He took a deep breathe calming down. "I read some of your essays you don't even like Politics, you would change the all way of doing things if you could but you're still the best of your class."

"I had no choice." She told him getting angry too.

"Culver has other departments you could have chosen anything else." Tony argued.

"They were all related to Bonds in some way." Clint realized.

"What?" Tony turned to look at him.

"Science, literature, human studies, religion, they are all studying bonds at one point or another." Clint explained.

"Oh!" Tony let out. "You and I are going to talk about that later young lady." He joked looking back at Darcy who couldn't help but giggle doubling over when Pepper rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, the all scene making everyone laugh in return.

"Well looks like I missed something epic." Bruce told them as he got back to seat on the edge of the bed.

"You sure did." Tony grinned at him. "But don't worry you'll get a repeat when we'll try to convince her to come to the dark side." He told him padding his shoulder gently.

"I don't want to study science." Darcy chipped out.

"But we have cookies." Tony joked and the look on Steve's face alone was enough to send everyone into another round of laughter.

Clint slipped behind Steve and whispered discreetly, "I'll show you what it's all about but it's not going to help until you watched the movies."

"I am never going to be able to catch up the 70 years I missed." Steve told him hunching over himself.

"We'll help." Clint promised looking as Steve smiled shyly at the idea. Clint wanted to prove to their Captain he made the right call but that was Hawkeye's job. Personally he wished for Steve to stop looking lost and misplaced around them.

"Bruce it's your turn." Betty reminded them yawning, it was past midnight and everyone was starting to feel the weight of their sleepless week.

"Oh yeah, sure." Bruce muttered. "I… The Other Guy, he always wants to take over when you're around. I am used to him wanting to get out, but it's usually to smash things around or flee a bad situation, with you he just wants to sit around and play nice, it's a different feeling I need to get used to." He explained.

"So you didn't come near me because you felt weird?" she grimaced while telling them.

"And Tony needed my help with the extractor." Bruce added. "But basically yes, I couldn't be sure he would give control back to me up until tonight. Coming back after a fight is hard enough most of the time, I had no way of knowing how he would react to being treated as a normal being from someone else than Betty."

"Are you going to keep avoiding me if I stay around? Because the Avengers need Hulk more than me." Darcy said. Clint wondered if she'd ever stop feeling that way, he sure would do everything he could to make it disappear and from the look of it his team mates would be on board with that plan.

"I can't make any promises, but I can tell you that I want to explore the situation so I want to say 'no'." Bruce assured her. "But you have to promise me the same thing Betty did, if I say 'stop' or 'go' you'll do it no question ask."

Darcy nodded enthusiastically "I promise." JARVIS cut off the feed to the Garden to everyone's surprise. They waited a few minutes trying not to dwell into anything the night had revealed, but making sure everyone knew they would be there for each other as a team and as friends.

"Does that mean I can stay?" Darcy asked walking tentatively into the room hugging everyone as she went.

"This was always the plan Darcy, you even had your own floor at the tower before you even got a foot in here. It's your home." Tony told her hugging Pepper against him.

"I don't need a floor" she protested. "My room is more than fine."

"Oh honey, Tony is planning on giving a floor to everyone who decide to stay." Pepper explained and both Clint and Steve who were drinking chocked spilling water on the mattress.

"Hi!" Darcy whispered as she molded herself on his side. Tony and Pepper were arguing with Bruce and Steve, Natasha watching the scene play out behind them, but Clint was too focused on Darcy to understand what they were fighting about.

"Hi!" He answered. "You didn't say anything about me" He told her tightening his grip on her.

"That's because I had nothing to say" she assured him "We already talked about all this in my little room back in New Mexico." She continued sitting down on the mattress and pulling him down with her so they could snuggle again. "I would have asked you to come with me if I wasn't scared Fury would think you were defecting."

"Oh Darce, I would have followed you any way." He affirmed laying down on his side so he could look at her laid down next to him, caressing gentle fingers on her arm.

"That's why I didn't ask." She told him rolling around to face him. "I don't want you to get killed over my insecurities."

"Come here." He told her tugging her closer to him until her head was fitting under his chin. "Nothing is going to happen to me. Or any of us, we're a team we'll protect each other." He put a kiss on top of her head looking over at the silent rest of their team who were looking at them smiling, he stuck his tongue at them and laughed as Steve shook his head certainly resigning himself to the fact that his team was composed of immature special people.

"They are all looking at us, right?" Darcy mumble against his collarbone.

"Yep" Clint laughed again, releasing Darcy regretfully when she started to wiggle out of his grip.

"I think that's my call. Do you have any cute outfit for me?" She asked Pepper standing up precariously, Pepper offering her hand to help steady her before Clint could move. They all watch as the two women left the room but as soon as they were out of sight Bruce, Tony and Tasha appeared by his side.

"Come on Clint if you want to keep her in your arms tonight you have to take something you already agreed to it." Bruce told him getting Steve and Betty to get closer to them.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked but before Clint could decide if he wanted to tell him or hide it Tasha lift her his shirt. "Clint!" He heard the super-soldier say sounding pained and compassionate making Clint feel bad about the situation for the first time. Steve had asked repeatedly if anybody was hurt, if they had all seen Bruce or Betty if they were getting better, Clint never lied he just avoided Cap every time he was starting to ask those kind of question. Turning slightly he only had time to see the thoughtfulness on Steve's eyes, and the torment of not being able to protect his team again clearly appearing on his face, before they heard Darcy and Pepper coming back talking.

"Take this." Betty told him handing him pills apparently they had decided the moment of truth was done and Darcy didn't need to know about his back.

As if it was planned Darcy shimmed herself back into his arms, she was wearing her Captain America's shield shirt but had put on some plaid sweater Iron Man pants to go with it.

"It's not my fault they are the only two with merchandise" She told to the other Avengers, "You'll need to ask PR about that quickly, maybe we can use it to raise money for the repairs of the city, and I'll have more cool clothes to wear." She smiled at them.

Clint looked as Pepper and Tony exchange a knowing look.

Darcy sighed lightly when he said good night kissing her forehead. She turned over her back to his front so she could look at the others. Clint cautiously put his arm on Darcy' middle his hand on her stomach his thumb stroking gently her ribs. Over her shoulder he watched as Pepper dragged Tony to bed putting a tone of pillows around him, Tasha looked at them before handing Pepper a cover, she did the same for Betty and Bruce who had chosen to settle on the far end of the living room closer to the balcony door, away from the others, putting the pillows between them, Darcy waved at them before Betty turned around to face Bruce, Tasha put herself at the center of the bed so she could survey everyone. Clint looked for Steve but he wasn't in his line of sight, when a cover was put over Darcy and him, he looked up and saw a smiling Steve who still seem a little bit lost at the idea of a giant sleep over.

"Get to sleep, Steve." Darcy told him without even batting an eyelash.

Steve looked around searching for the best place to settle down it seemed.

"It's not a battle field Steve just lay down." Clint told him.

Steve sighed and sat down behind Clint on the bed. Everyone else had put themselves in front of Darcy so she could look at them, even Tasha who didn't like to feel looked at.

"You don't want to…?" Clint didn't finish but waved his free hand to show a large space between Darcy and where Pepper and Tony were.

"She is looking at them, I am fine looking after you instead." Steve told him laying down closer to them than the others were.

"Shusshh!" Darcy told them half giggling in his arms.

"Good night Darcy" Steve told her the smile easily heard on his voice, everyone followed with good nights tossed around for everybody.

Clint heard a 'pills bottle shaking' noise and turned his head to watch at Steve who showed him where he was putting it. "Thank you" Clint mouthed, not turning back around until Steve had stopped tossing around choosing to face toward everyone instead of turning his back on them. Steve smiled when he saw that Clint was still observing him, he had a nice shy smile, or at least Clint liked it, smiling back before turning over to get his attention back to the girl in his arms.

"Hey Darce!" He whispered in her ear. "Where is Buddy?" They still didn't know what the little robots could do and he would rather not be woken up by an unhappy Buddy who would blast him up because he was snuggling with his owner.

"I told him to go to sleep" She mumbled "So I guess Tonyland."


	17. A Need to protect

**A Need to protect.**

When Steve came back from the kitchen, for his nightly glass of milk before bed, everybody had settled down Natasha was handing covers and pointed out the two she had left behind Clint and Darcy, asking silently for him to handle it. He nodded and covered the non-couple, as they kept telling him they were not no matter how inappropriate their behavior would have been in public space even for married couple in his time. Not that he cared, he had been honest with Natasha on that point he even found them cute, the thought of them this care free around their friends always made him smile.

"Go to sleep, Steve." Darcy told him effectively dragging him out of his thoughts.

Steve looked around him, everyone had settled but him, he wondered where he should lay, Natasha had positioned herself to be able to quickly see everyone if she needed it, a hand on Darcy's shin as to reassure herself that the young woman was really there, he had seen soldiers needing a similar contact with their friends after he had rescued the 107th. He didn't really want to lay far away from the others, sure he wasn't bonded to Darcy but he stopped feeling like the odd man out after Vegas, he had been waiting for the feeling to come back when they told him to go back to the tower without them but he quickly understood that they had trusted him to look after Darcy and he would make sure nothing happened to her.

He hadn't realized how long he had been staring at the bed when Clint talked to him. "It's not a battle field Steve just lay down." Steve sighed apparently the archer had thought he was trying to look for the best place to sleep when Steve hadn't even question it. He sat down behind Clint, taking his socks off before bed.

"You don't want to...?" Clint asked him and it took a minute for Steve to understand what he meant even with him gesturing to the middle of the bed.

Steve shook his head, he didn't want to be between Darcy and the others, if they had one chance to get her to sleep that was it and he knew how important it was to have your people in eyesight in case of a nightmare. Plus now that he had seen Clint's back he felt guilty for leaving them in the first place, he should have known one of them would pull something like that he had just thought it would be Tony and the man had Pepper to look after him and force him to take care of his injuries.

He laid himself down close to them, wondering briefly if it wouldn't be uncomfortable for the other man, he could scoot further, he should do it, but he didn't want for anyone else to take care of them, he needed to redeem himself.

"She's looking after them," he said pointing at Darcy who had turned to face the others her back on Clint's front, "I am fine looking after you instead."

"Shushh!" Darcy giggled clearly enjoying their little talk more than she cared to say.

"Good night Darcy!" He answered shaking his head a found smile on his face, life with that girl around was going to be weird for him, as he didn't understood her half the time, but it promised to be fun too, at least she didn't treat him any different because of it.

Taking advantage of everyone's good night wishes flying around he grabbed the pills bottle Betty had trusted him with shaking it intentionally to grab Clint's attention, the man looked back at him, watching where he put the bottle, at easy grabbing distance for Clint but somewhere he was sure would wake him up if he tried to take it. Clint gave him a discreet 'thank you' but to Steve's surprise he didn't turn back toward Darcy immediately, waiting for him to be comfortable enough.

Steve smiled at him, he didn't know what it was with him, the archer showed that he didn't took care of himself very well but he had been putting all his attention into making sure Darcy was protected, happy, safe. That should have reminded him of Bucky taking care of him when he was still skinny and sick, he had waited for the memories to assault him that first day when he had observe them on the bed but it felt different.

Steve listened as Clint asked Darcy about Buddy, Steve hadn't been there when Tony created it, but the genius laughed discreetly when Darcy explained that Buddy must be in Tonyland.

Steve listened as everyone's breathing began to slow down, Natasha was the last one to fall asleep, she waited until Darcy had stop moving, so she could take away her hand to put it on Clint's shin instead. At first Steve thought it was an affectionate gesture until he realized that Clint kept readjusting himself until he was comfortable enough to fall asleep, for sure if he moved again Natasha would feel it.

Steve watched over them all for a while, he had fallen asleep in Darcy's bed for a few hours so he wouldn't be able to sleep again for a while. After an hour of tossing around he decided to stand up, some walking or some fresh air should help him, he went back to the kitchen familiarizing himself with the environment, there was everything he would need to cook breakfast for his team in the morning.

At first the new food, different cooking had startled him, so many new tastes, no much diversities. On his trip he had tasted anything he had come across but his favorite food was the one he had tasted at Betsy's Diner, breakfast at every hour had surprised him at first, but stuffed omelet, crisped bacon, and chicken waffles had won him over.

Betsy was a nice older lady, she had recognized him, not from the pictures the event of New York had generated but from the reels and photographs her mother had shown her, she was the daughter of one of the USO girls. He had stayed at the diner for almost 2 days, he didn't have a schedule so it wasn't important. Sure meeting Betsy reminded him of the fact that all of his friends were dead, but she had taught him how to make breakfast, while telling him about her mother and how proud she had been to be an USO Girl, and it had been easier to grief for her that way.

When he opened the door, finally ready to go to sleep, Natasha was kneeling next to Clint, whispering with Betty who was standing on the other side.

"It's too soon for him to take another pill." The doctor whispered.

"I don't get why it's so painful now when no one even noticed it before." Natasha countered.

"It's not the bruises that are hurting him now, it's his muscles he spent the past 10 days relying on it to hide his injuries, staying still for hours on the plane was the last draw." Betty explained.

"Do you have one of those heating thingy you gave me after the battle?" Steve asked when he got closer to them. Betty checked her bag before handing him the plastic bag so he could punch it to release the heat, as she had showed him before, when he would be ready.

"Okay you two go back to sleep I've got this." Steve told them, Betty crawled back to Bruce who had woken up too, but Natasha was reluctant, glaring between Darcy/Clint and Steve.

"I could take her, he would be able to move more easily that way." she suggested, but even though Clint was still looking asleep despite the commotion going on around him, he automatically tighten his grip around Darcy at the mention of someone taking her away. Steve swallowed down the laugh that was threatening to leave his throat watching how protective Clint could be of this person even in his sleep.

"I don't think he agrees with that plan." He pointed out shrugging. "It's okay I got this. You should go back to sleep." He suggested. Natasha considered the situation, looking at Clint for a long moment before locking eyes with Steve and nodding, she laid back down put her hands back on Clint's shin and turning her back on the trio. She just told him that she trusted him, in her own way for sure but it was still a sign of approval, over his leadership or his friendship, he was willing to take.

Steve laid back down scooting a little closer to Clint, he crushed the pack to activate the heating part and put it gently on the other man's back. Clint woke up briefly at that, turning his head to look at Steve, his eyes were bloody and he had dark patches under it but he still found the energy to smile. A bright kind smile, that made Steve want to retrieve his hand and put more space between the two of them, but he had to keep the patch in place and Clint turned back quickly so Steve just took a few deep breathes and tried to go to sleep.

After a few hours, early morning sun started to appear but everyone was still asleep and contrary to his routine Steve didn't want to get out of bed to train. He lounged in bed for a few minutes before listening in on the soft noises of his team mates, they couldn't hear the sounds from the street in the tower, he didn't know if it was due to the height or the windows, he guessed he had to ask. The heating pack was long cold by now, and Darcy was starting to move, Steve turned slightly to look at them. Clint was on his back Darcy half laying on him, his eyes were wide open. Steve took a few second to wonder how long he had been in this position, he looked uncomfortable, hurt even but he wouldn't wake their protégée not even for all the pain in the world.

"Clint!" Steve whispered, watching the man slowly turning his head to look at him. "You can't stay on your back." Clint rolled his eyes at him and to be honest Steve wanted to roll his eyes at himself. "Yeah, okay, sorry!"

"It's straining to stay on my side for too long." Clint admitted, whispering back.

"On your side or on this side?" Steve asked.

"I can't turn around." Clint showed him Darcy and smiled looking down at the girl who buried herself deeper into the crook of his neck.

"I'll help." Steve kneeled behind Darcy, slid his hands under her body taking her weight onto his arms when Clint rolled her over. Darcy didn't wake up she just traded one shoulder for another. While Steve walked them over to the other side, Clint took time to swallow some of his pain medication turning on his right side looking more relax. Steve put Darcy gently back into Clint's arms but when he tried to retreat over to kitchen or whatever, Clint caught his wrist and dragged him back down the mattress.

"You should sleep longer" Clint told him.

"No I'm okay, I'll make breakfast or go to the gym…" Steve started to ramble.

"Or you lay back and sleep for a few hours and we'll all cook breakfast together in the morning." Clint interrupted him.

"I can't…" Steve stopped himself, it wasn't true, he could, he wanted to but now instead of looking after his team he would have Darcy and Clint watching him, he wasn't sure he was comfortable about that.

"Just get down, I'll fall asleep soon if you're still not sleepy just go do whatever you want." Clint offered.

Steve simply sat back down, he couldn't get far away with Clint still holding on his wrist, resulting on him laying just on the other side of Darcy, his arm grazing the girl's back. He turned over to look at the archer who still hadn't gave him his arm back and the two of them fenced Darcy in a secure place, Clint finally relinquishing some of his pent up tension, releasing some of his grip on the girl so Steve was supporting some of her weight.

"We don't own her, you know." Clint told him then. "You're protecting her too." He started to run his hand on her hair raking against Steve's shirt with each movement but not looking like he cared, or like he noticed so he didn't say anything about it.

"It's not…" Steve started to fall back asleep. "We'll talk about that later." He said yawning.

"That's good by me." Clint answered smiling. The bastard knew what he was doing his repetitive movements lulling Steve to sleep.

Steve wake up roughly 2 hours later to Natasha hushing the others.

"If one of you wake them up…" was all she said but even with his eyes closed he could feel the pressure of her glare on them.

He took a minute acknowledging his own body, he still had the pressure of Darcy's body against himself but it look like she had turned around and was now facing him, he could feel her breath on his neck, his hand wasn't on her soft curved though, but on a muscular back. He wouldn't be able to fake sleeping longer if he was blushing as hard as he thought he was.

"Don't move." He heard in a little voice, not even a whisper, Darcy was sneaky, she knew he would be the only one to hear her.

They waited a little longer not moving before they heard the others walking away, Natasha intentionally kicking the door on her way to the kitchen talking about breakfast order out loud on her way out.

"Hey!" Darcy said a little louder once they were alone, getting only her head away from him.

"Why the secrecy?" He asked her propping his head on his arm so he could look at her in the eyes.

"I just thought if you started to blush any deeper you wouldn't need the red on your uniform to be all patriotic anymore." She joked.

"I can't help it." He sighed starting to role away from her.

"No don't move." She stopped him quickly.

"What? Why?" He asked frozen his muscle tense from keeping from moving an inch.

"You're holding him up." She said turning toward Clint. "He's going to end up on his back if you take your hand off."

That's how he noticed that his palm was fully on Clint's side, covering his lower ribs, Darcy was right Clint's full weight was resting on his hand he could lower him gently but it wouldn't be less painful.

"I can hear you, you know." Clint grunted.

"Yeah Stupid Superhero I know." Darcy told him. She might have known but Steve had been surprised to hear him talk he was certain he was still asleep according to the heart rate and breathing he could feel in his hand, damn sniper. Darcy turn on her back so she could watch both of them, contrary to them she was fully awake, she must have staid like that for a long time waiting for the others to leave.

"What is wrong with your back?" She inquired. Clint tried to shrug but Steve tighten his grip on his side, which for reason he couldn't start to think about he was still holding, preventing it, forcing him to admit the truth to his injuries. "It's just bruises." Which Steve confirmed when she looked at him.

Darcy didn't yell, she didn't look sad, she didn't even look like she felt guilty about any of it, which was good because she had no reason to. "Well that mean no back rub for you until you're healed." She shrugged.

"Aw Girl that's unfair." Clint played along, both perfectly aware that they were no chances in the world he would be able to appreciate even the gentlest touch on his back right now.

"Oh poor baby." She mocked him turning to face him. "You do realize you wouldn't have been able to sleep without Steve right?" He was pretty sure it was supposed to be a question but even though he couldn't see her eyes it sounded more like an incentive than a question.

Clint looked at Steve's hand on his side than "I…" He said but never finished his thoughts. "Thanks."

Steve still hadn't released him he rather liked their little bubble and the other two didn't look in any particular rush to move either.

"You should try to get back to sleep." Clint told Darcy brushing a light kiss on her temple.

"But I don't want to be alone." She pouted making big doll eyes at him.

"it's Sunday, I am sure we can all manage to take the day off, do a marathon movie of something, stay in bed so sleepy people could, you know sleep..." Clint suggested, it was far from Steve usual daily training program but he had to admit it sounded way more fun. "Cap hasn't seen Star Wars." Clint added to Darcy utter shock.

"What did SHIELD tried to teach you about our time?" She asked scandalized.

"Wars, politics, countries, some are new some changed their names it helps." Steve told her, even though in the few days he had spent with real people, not SHIELD agent assessing him, or waitresses offering him coffee he realized he hadn't learned even a tenth of useful stuff for the day to day life.

"I am sure it helps with insomnia." She argued. "I am taking over your cultural education Cap, I'll battle Nick for it if I have to." She said propping herself up on her elbows letting her hair flow between Clint and Steve masking one from the others, which didn't prevent the double chocking they did hearing her.

Steve couldn't be sure but he would bet on Clint getting shocked by Darcy calling Fury, Nick, when Steve chocked on her wanting to go against the colonel for him. Even as Captain America he kept meeting people who wanted to protect him the difference had been that skinny Steve had Bucky to save his ass, Captain America incited brave, unconventional women, like Peggy and Darcy, to go against the rules for him. He had to admit he preferred that at the cohort of women who would just want to seduce him.

"Ready to get up?" Steve finally asked taping his index in Clint's side just to remind him of their current situation.

Clint looked up at Steve his eyes now bright and rested. "Coffee?" Just like on that first morning coffee magically appeared next to his hand followed by two more mugs for Darcy and Steve.

"Okay Hawkeye when was the last time you took your meds?" Natasha asked.

"Tasha, no don't be mad, please." He said as all three of them shimmied their way out of the covers to sit on the stairs next to the bed with their coffee, Steve only took his so Natasha would have her hands free, but he guessed she knew he would be reluctant at the idea of drinking it in bed and that's why she gave his before Darcy's.

"Not mad." She mumbled, she looked mad, but he remembered what Darcy had told him 'she doesn't like to show she cares' Natasha sat herself behind Clint tugging his shirt up, "Tony gave me this it's supposed to do miracles on bruises." She explained padding his back with a peppermint smelling cream.

Darcy had looked shocked for half a second seeing his back before letting Natasha do what she needed scooting herself closer to Steve, seating so close to him she was almost on his laps. "Darcy, you need something?" He muttered.

"Nope" She told him not getting her eyes away from Clint's back resting her back against Steve's chest her head on his shoulder sighing. Honestly Steve didn't know if she was trying to distract herself or him, she didn't seem willing to mock him in anyway, pulling her heat away from him when they heard Tony coming back.

"Oh great the kids are done with the cuddling cuteness." Tony chipped out.

"Tony be fair! Clint played crash dummy with a window so he needed a hand to stay off his back" Darcy replied snidely at him. "Didn't someone say something about breakfast?"

"JARVIS said he wouldn't order for us, something about Grandpa telling him to order more eggs and bacon for this morning brunch so he would cook for everyone." Tony told her irritated by the lack of obedience from his AI.

"Who's Grandpa, in this scenario because I think I am confused?" Darcy told him sipping her coffee.

"I think I am." Steve said from behind her strangely surprising her but thanks to his super-reflexes, he prevent her from spilling her hot coffee on herself and the mattress.

"Yeah I thought so." She said looking up at him smiling, the little minx had done that on purpose, he maybe was 94 but he was still a 27 super-soldier even if it all came 'out of a bottle'. "So breakfast?" she repeated.

"Everybody could chip in." Bruce suggested but Tony send daggers at him.

"My poor virginal kitchen…" Steve was sure he meant to say more inappropriate things but Pepper shut him up with a kiss, Tony was right that woman was efficient.

"Clint wanted to do a marathon..." He said and realized he had said something wrong when Betty started to yell at Clint and Darcy began to laugh. "I... it had something to do with movies and staying in bed." He quickly offered to calm Betty and Natasha who he realized now had stop putting cream on Clint.

"It's called a 'Movie Marathon' Capsicle." Tony offered. "It's because you get food and beverage and seat your ass on a bed or on a comfortable couch and you don't move from it until you've seen all the movies you queued up." Tony explained nicely, "Well except when nature calls, gross." But he was still Tony, Steve smiled fondly at him.

"And what are we watching?" Bruce asked.

"Disney's." Darcy told them and Steve watched as Tony prepared himself for an argument, "Don't! We'll watch them in order, so Steve can see the evolution" She told him, shutting Tony off.

"Darce we'll be here for days." Natasha objected and Steve wondered how many movies had been done, he had seen Snow White when it got out, he remember it being a gift from Bucky's mom, the boys had dragged Rebecca with them and she had pester her brother into reacting it with her several times before he gave up.

"We could watch our favorites and we'll see about the others another time." Betty tried to help.

"But it show case the evolution of movies, and Steve…" She pouted and everybody agreed to follow the order if she skipped some of them and only put up the classic. Pepper telling her that they only had that day to watch it not all week.

"I don't like the idea of eating and drinking in bed." Steve whispered but Pepper heard him anyway.

"That's not a problem Captain..."

"Steve please!" he said for the hundreds time.

"Steve of course, sorry," she really seemed contrite which was weird it's not like she had insulted him or anything, she surely got that from dealing with Tony's life for years. "If you don't mind and Tony put on the suit" She looked quickly at Tony before he started to protest, "so it would be quicker, we could move the two mattress at the center and place a coffee table and some cushions instead. Would that be better?" She asked him but everybody agreed to the idea.

Tony walked away to the elevator surely to get down to the workshop when Darcy stopped him. "If you find Buddy tell him to come with." She asked. She seemed to have gotten herself attached to the little robots quickly but then again she had done the same with them, and Tess, or Jane from what he had heard.

"That doesn't solve the breakfast problem." Darcy reminded them.

"JARVIS will the food I ordered keep until tomorrow?" Steve asked and heard a few snort but no one out right commented.

 _Of course sir, you'll find everything in the fridge when you'll need it._

"Wait who's putting the food in the fridge?" He inquired suddenly uneasy about someone other then them able to get in when they were asleep.

"On week day, Happy, if he isn't here for any reason, someone from security will leave the groceries order outside of the elevator on the communal floor, which would mean here apparently, delivery personnel from restaurants or shops are all vetoed before they could enter the tower and you'll all have to meet them and approve for them to have access to the living areas if you decide to move in the tower." Pepper, in CEO mode, explained to them, everyone seemed relieved and fascinated by Pepper's efficacy.

"I totally want to be you when I grow up." Darcy told Pepper, they were surrounded by super-heroes but neither of the three 'team-related' women as Fury had called them seemed to pay them any attention when it came to power over the household. "Is it a cuteness and food taste veto system? Because I am not qualified for anything more advanced." Darcy joked making everyone laugh.

"Those can definitely be added to the criteria." Pepper told her smiling fondly.

When Tony came back in his armor minus the helmet, he had Buddy trailing behind him, when this later saw Darcy he flight toward her to everyone surprised.

"Tony! I thought I said no flying." Pepper chastised him.

"What if he had been in her room and her at the other side of campus when she had needed him? It's not like I had any hope of her taking him with her everywhere like a diva's Chihuahua." Tony explained.

But Darcy wasn't paying attention to them, she had caught Buddy has he had come too close to Clint's back and was trying to teach him why he shouldn't do it by showing him Clint's bruises, to which the robot answered with angry little beep.

"It will go away." She told him petting him until he had calm down. "But in the meantime don't touch it, we don't know how strong you are okay?"

it was weird to watch as Buddy started to get around Clint moving very slowly, when he faced the archer he beeped in what looked like to be a question in a language no one but maybe JARVIS could speak.

"Yeah Buddy I am okay." Clint told him padding him on the head too.

"I can give him an advanced AI, make him speak, avoid injuries if you want." Tony said fondness slipping out of his tone.

"No, he can learn right?" Darcy asked.

"Not talking but everything else you want yes, JARVIS could tweak his program if there is something he really doesn't get or he start to act like a teenager." Tony told her, and to everyone looks of surprise he answered, "What? It happens okay... Someday you'll meet my other bots you'll get it, You is the smartest one clearly."

You was the only bots in the tower but Steve had heard Tony trying to call out one called Butterfinger once, the name alone sounded promising.

"JARVIS don't change his programming without me asking you, if I think something is wrong I'll learn to fix him." Darcy said.

 _I recorded your request. If I might add if you ever need to know what he is trying to tell you I can translate._

"Noted. Thanks JARVIS."

"So we're totally ordering breakfast right? No one wants a hungry Hulk around." Bruce reminded them.

"Yes, order away." Steve confirmed and went to move the first mattress with Tony keeping an ear on Clint, Darcy and Buddy talk.

"So where did you went to sleep last night?" Clint asked him and the little robot started to chime around Tony.

"Buddy!" Tony called him out but he wouldn't stop. "What on Earth did you tell him?" He asked frustrated.

"I wanted to know where he slept." Clint shrugged wincing little.

"Oh! I found him in the suit showcase, I guess he wanted to feel protected too." Tony told them and Buddy went back to Darcy's side to be petted.

"Well you could have stayed with us, so from now on don't get down to sleep, you can only get down to play with JARVIS or the bots and only if Tony says it's okay." Darcy told him, and Steve almost lost his grip on their second mattress when the robot honest to God pouted at being restrained, but Darcy took him in her arms and sat him down between herself and Clint and he beeped happily again watching as Iron Man and Captain America played movers with the coffee tables. Steve felt like a Grandpa suddenly, way out of his time, Darcy was treating that miniaturized suit which didn't went higher than her knees like a kid and he had to admit, it was working, weird but working. He felt better when he saw that he wasn't the only one weirded out, even though Betty looked both perplexed and fond.


	18. How to tame wannabe prince charming

**How to tame wannabe Prince Charming…**

In all fairness maybe they should have skipped Snow White all together, Steve hadn't saw it since 1937 but for him it was like 8 years ago, she was sure he remembered it well enough and she became a little freaked out when Tony started to call her Snow and tried to find which Avenger would be which dwarf.

"Stop it!" She hissed throwing yet another pillow at him. She was thankful for Pepper who always throwing it back so she was never without.

"What? He spends half of the movie sleeping." Tony argued innocently.

"Steve doesn't have anything in common with Sleepy, Bruce would be a better Doc than you, even though Hulk is already Grumpy, I'll have fun watching you explain why Tasha should be Bashful because you decided that Pepper should be Happy and Betty Sneezy, which I don't get." She stopped to grin at Clint. "Although I have to admit Clint would be a great Dopey."

She enjoyed hearing him grunt, he should have told them he was hurt before it went this far, a superhero working with a bow and arrow who couldn't even bend to get more coffee shouldn't be allowed to complain about being called Dopey by his team mates.

"I see myself more as a Flynn Rider." Clint countered, and Tasha on whose laps Darcy was curled up on had stopped another pillow from flying around and probably saved Pepper's rug.

"I said no characters Steve hasn't been introduced to yet." She growled and Clint had the good taste to look contrite.

He had been pouting since they put the movie on anyway. First Darcy had decided that since she had spent the night with Clint and Steve, she'll change cuddling partners with every movie, because she didn't want them to think she was playing favorites, with Clint anyway, though Steve had been a nice warm addition. Second, breakfast was delayed due to the fact that they had been awake at 7am and most places only started to serve Brunch after 10, living at Stark Tower had its advantages, like deliveries from the nearest Starbuck but JARVIS wasn't a miracle worker, the food still needed to be cooked before they delivered.

Before the movie started when Pepper was busy organizing and Bruce and Betty busy looking after Clint, Tasha had dragged Darcy to the kitchen, giving her a knife, that Darcy knew didn't come from the kitchen, so they could cut of fruits for the super hungry people of the other room

"Aren't Superheroes supposed to save demoiselle in distress from pointy things?" Darcy asked staring at Tasha wondering where the knife had been hidden since the spy was wearing so little clothes.

"Not when the demoiselle is the one with the knife." She told her. "Now cut those apples would you."

"So much violence." Darcy stabbing one of the apple.

"We'll send you to counseling don't worry." Tasha laughed.

"Okay, enough jokes. Why did you drag me here? Is this the part where you show me how good you are at hiding bodies? Because Clint and I, we're good, well he is going to pay for hiding his bruises but I trust you to handle that for the both of us." Darcy rambled, Tasha did warned her against hurting Clint, which she had, and she knew that already.

"Not until he asks me to." Tasha told her. "I just don't think he's going to voluntary show any 'new' injuries with either of us around." It was a good call, and they could trust Steve to beat him out of him, with his big eyes and disarming smile.

"Darce, focus!" Tasha cried out preventing the loss of one of Darcy's finger.

They stayed silent for a while, Darcy knew Tasha wanted something and the woman was the best at getting Intel without people realizing it, but thanks to her and their bond, Darcy had learned not to give information ever, even if asked directly.

"Darce!" Tasha said suddenly. "Are you…?" She started but interrupted herself cutting more raspberries.

"Come on Tash, I know I messed up. What do you want to know?" Darcy stopped chopping the apples to look at the spy, she knew that Tasha wasn't the open-direct-emotional kind she had to be pushed a little to say something personal when she had been taught not to.

"Are you going to leave again?" The Russian spy finally asked. Darcy wiped her hands on a towel taking the time to figure out what she was going to say.

"It's not that simple, we both know it." She told her but waited until she had a reaction from Tasha before going on.

Natasha grabbed the bowl Pepper had gotten out of the cupboard for them, the fruits from both cutting boards, mixing them with a little maple syrup she found in the fridge. She stayed silent.

"I could promise never to leave the tower again, Tasha, but you know it's not that easy, I can't live like that and for all that matter it would be unfair, you'll get to travel the world with SHIELD and the Avengers but I would be playing Rapunzel waiting for you all to get back home?" Darcy tried to explain. She'll always come back to them but she had the right to live her life too.

"I didn't meant leave the tower." Tasha told her, and if pushed Darcy would admit she knew that already.

"No." Darcy admitted. "I am not going anywhere, you're all stuck with me now."

"Good" Tasha simply answered with a half hug, dragging Darcy out of the kitchen.

"Okay, Oh great Snow White who would play who according to you?" Tony asked propping himself on Pepper's thighs, getting Darcy out of her memories.

"You realize you only cast half of the characters, right? No king, no evil queen, no prince charming, no hunter." She countered they were going to have to watch all the movies twice if they keep talking over it, but for some of them she was ready to sacrifice some time.

"Oh I know who those would be." Tony grinned evilly.

"Who?" Darcy asked a little sceptic.

"Well I thought the huntsman would be Clint because of the bow and arrow thing, Thor had to be the king" he started to list.

"Gross!" Darcy exclaimed.

"And Loki would be the Evil Queen." Tony continued without listening to her.

"Even grosser, what's wrong with you?" She asked making a face at him.

"What? What did I say?" Tony questioned back looking truly confused.

"That would make Thor my dad and I had very inappropriate adult rated thoughts about him." She started

"Please tell us more." Tony grinned and Pepper growled at him making him stop, she might have to learn how the woman did that.

"And although I totally support the LGBT community," Darcy stated

"For the frozen people, it means, Lesbian Gay Bi and Transgender, it's not a disease anymore, welcome to the 21th Century." Tony interrupted again, but at least this time it had been with useful information for someone and watching Steve blush all the way to his ears was still the cutest thing ever.

"It's not what matters right now, they are brothers." Darcy told him firmly.

"Adoptive brothers." Tasha informed her.

"What now?" Darcy asked shocked and that's how they decided to pause Snow white to tell her about how Loki's temper tantrum had caused the all 'NY event'.

"So what about Prince Charming then?" She asked.

"We haven't casted him yet." Tony said the same time Bruce told her that it was the princess job to find one.

The food finally came in by the end of the credits. After Snow White they should have watched Pinocchio, but Clint didn't want to watch movies about kids enrolled in the circus, or anything circus related which also got Dumbo out of the list. Fantasia had been vetoed by Tony, because apparently the genius who lived in a house that basically handle his life for him and bots to do everything else couldn't watch magic brooms cleaning by themselves. Bambi was a sensible subject for Hulk, for some reason Bruce refused to explain. Darcy started to regret giving them any veto power, and Steve look alarmingly pale every time they explained why they couldn't watch this or that, she didn't know if it was because he was wondering if Walt Disney had made traumatizing movies or because his team mates had crappy childhoods.

They settled on watching Alice in Wonderland before Cinderella because the males of the room objected to watching two princess movies in a row, not wanting to give ideas to the females apparently, which lead to the women separating from them to sit on the other side of the room leaning on each other singing every single song of Alice at the top of their lungs. Tasha and Betty had nice voices but Darcy and Pepper easily admitted they were awful singers.

Cinderella went well, no one complained too much, it didn't seem to be anyone's favorite though so they moved on to something the boys, because at that point they were boys not men, cheered on, even Steve who apparently had read it and wanted to know what Disney had made of it. They took a quick recess for personnel stuff and ordered all kinds of candies and sodas as well as patisseries for the afternoon before putting Peter Pan on.

Darcy felt bad, she should have seen it coming. Tony had found enough paper to make wings for her poor Buddy, who apparently was now Tinkerbell. Clint had put on a cover wearing it as a cape, because "Duh, Darcy, I am the oldest boy so I have to be John." which apparently made Steve Michael, they even found him a top hat, Darcy refused to be Wendy but Tasha volunteered, which scared everyone for about 2 seconds, Betty would be a perfect Tiger Lily, according to Bruce who refused to play something other than the narrator, JARVIS was making the ticking alarm clock from the crocodile and Tony of course was Peter, he even argued for a few minutes that they should invite Fury so he could play Mr. Smee.

"Let's be glad no one can see that." Pepper told her when she sat down next to her in what had been named, 'party pooper mattress'.

"I think I'd rather be one of those people who hadn't seen it." Darcy retoured.

They watched for a few minutes as Peter Pan rescued Tiger Lily from Hook who it apparently had been decided would be Bruce whether he liked it or not. But Darcy had to draw the line somewhere and that was not acceptable.

"No!" Darcy shout out. "No flying for any one, no jumping on each other, just no." When did she became their mother already?

"Welcome to my world." Pepper whispered dragging Peter Pan out of the coffee table/Pirate boat.

"But Darce." Clint pleaded, and she felt bad they were only having fun, but when she saw him jumping over the table to play-fly she thought about his back and she just couldn't handle it.

She left them to the cleaning grabbing Buddy, bringing him to her room so she could get rid of the wings.

"Hey!" She heard a small voice say but refused to look up. "You mad?"

"No." She said shaking her head to try and get the few tears that were starting to pool in her eyes to go away.

"What did we do?" Steve finally asked sitting next to her padding Buddy head when the robot had beeped at him for entering uninvited.

"Nothing." Darcy repeated, her hands starting to shake.

"Come on. Don't keep it to yourself or you can be sure we'll do it again." Steve said.

"Hum mm." was her only answer but she grabbed his arm to get them all back to the living room, where apparently everyone waited for her. She gave a little push to Buddy, who went back to the center of the bed, when he showed an interest into the array of colors the candies that just arrived presented to him.

"You people can't do that to me." She said out loud. "You're super-soldier, spies, invulnerable 10 foot lime Jell-O, part robots, and you get hurt..." She was about to get interrupted so she put a hand up to shush them. "It's okay, I know it. It's okay outside. It's okay because I know what it cost to be you, I had the displeasure of experiencing it for years, and it's not going to go away. It okay when you train, because it means you'll have less injuries, or at least less important ones in the future. It's okay for Tony or Bruce to hurt themselves in the labs, sometimes thing explode, I know Jane does that too. I am okay with all of this. But don't you dare hurt yourself or each other when you're been childish. You can all play Peter Pan all you want, but what would have happened if Tony had slipped from the table or Clint had landed on his back?" She lectured them, feeling a 100% unjustified, and wanting nothing more than for anything else to happen right now. "Oh and fuck it, you were just having fun. Go on."

She walked to the candy table and grabbed some of the corn candy.

"Darce!" she heard and she didn't care which one of them said it.

"No don't Darce me I just ruined Disney marathon I suck!" She skulled.

"Hey!" Clint told her taping his chin on her shoulder. "Thanks for looking out for us."

"You're right we should be more careful" Steve told her from the other side of the room.

"No, it's me, I panicked." Darcy said.

"Which is good." Bruce told her and when she looked at him with something she knew was her dubious face he added "We had fun Darcy, actual fun together, not for a battle, or while building new tech, all thanks to you, you chose the movies, you didn't stop us from the start saying it was stupid or childish, you even helped find the top hat. You didn't ruin anything for all we know Clint could have hurt himself more, be benched longer, Tony could have broken something slipping on coffee stains, and any of those would have gotten me to turn into the other guy. See you did Good."

"Yep, you're a really good handler." Tasha told her with a grin which got Darcy to laugh.

"No Tasha I am not your handler." She said from her place on the floor.

"I don't see why not." They all heard from behind her and Darcy froze, she knew that voice, and from the look of the Avengers in front of her, and the fact that Clint was now totally blocking her she guest she was right.

Pepper wasn't feeling so good, which kept Tony sufficiently occupied not to say something snappy while Darcy was having a panic attack. How was it even possible?

 _Sir scans show that this individual is in fact Agent Coulson._

"Nope." Darcy snapped. "Your scans are all wrong _J_ because Phil has been dead for 9 days."

"Death is overrated Miss Lewis." Fury told her when he entered the room losing his smile quickly when he saw all of _his_ Avengers, including a green tainted Bruce and a tinny version of the Iron Man suit, putting Betty, Darcy and Pepper behind them protectively.

"Overrated my ass." She told him taking one hand from both Tasha and Clint reassuringly and wishing she had one more to do the same to Steve when she saw Betty holding on to Bruce and Pepper holding on to Tony, so she sent Buddy to comfort Steve, putting him on the man's shoulder, she took the spies hands back after releasing them for a few song and smiled back when Steve smiled at her fondly before turning back to Fury, and whoever that was.

"Darcy look..." Fake-Phil started to say but she stopped him.

"Oh no dude, you don't get to Darcy me. Hell even they don't get to do it most of the time." She yelled at him. "I know Phil's dead okay, because as if the pain and the grief was not enough with a normal bond, I felt it, every tiny little parts of him that was living in me going away while my head felt like it was slipping in half, I have nightmares about it, and nightmares about what will happen to me if any of those idiots dies again. So yeah I can tell you Phil Coulson is dead." She stopped half sobbing half out of breath for yelling.

"Miss Lewis, you shouldn't..." Fury started but she couldn't restrain herself and from the look of it no one was willing to help her do it, even the little glances from everyone seemed to be for support not to blame her.

"I shouldn't what? Be here? You're the one who got me here!" She snapped at him. "Or maybe you were informed that I had left and were hoping to find them alone?"

Fury sighed pinching the top of his nose. "I knew you were here if you just listened."

"You knew because you're spying on us." Tony chipped in. "I don't recall that being in the 'Join the Earth Mightiest heroes' speech."

"They are here to keep you safe." Fury said making everyone laugh, although when he asked why none of them volunteered to explain that his guards were making a crappy job, not until they knew what he was doing here.

That's when Fake-Phil got a thick purple and blue folder with doodles of flowers and coffee orders on it from behind him.

"Hey that's not yours give it back." She yelled launching herself at him just to be stopped a few feet short by Steve strong grip.

"You're right it's yours." He said handing it to her but Steve growled and took it from him instead, giving it to her only after Tasha had checked that it was indeed her folder.

"Where did you even get it?" She asked hugging it tightly to herself. "I gave it to Phil so he would hide it, I thought it would be lost forever when he died."

"I know I put it in Barton's file cabinet, figured that would be the safest place on Earth for it." Fake-Phil told her.

"It's not even funny." Clint snapped.

"But it is kind of true." She conceded. Clint never did paperwork unless it was on a computer, and even then he would only do urgent mission papers, his file cabinet was, according to Tasha, the house of a charming spider family. Darcy let the folder fall when she remembered that.

"The spiders?" Tasha asked.

"I kind of prefer when they look like you." She joked. "Don't we all?" Tony followed.

"Could we move this along? We are obviously all very busy." Fury told them pointing out Peter Pan frozen on the screen.

"They have every right to have some fun." Darcy told him but Fury didn't acknowledge her although Fake-Phil smiled, it was weird.

"So agent Coulson died when Loki stabbed him that is true." Fury started and Darcy felt like she would burst out in anger any minute now, so she closed her eyes and walked toward Betty and Bruce, remembering that this was not a part any of them had told SHIELD about.

"Betty could we trade?" She whispered turning fully toward the woman so her back was on the SHIELD agents and opening her eyes to her.

"Yeah sure, here." She whispered back putting Bruce's hand into Darcy's. When Darcy turned back she hid herself behind Bruce so no one would see her.

"I need you to come with me now." She told him, not carry how loud she was there was nothing secret about leaving the room it wouldn't be discreet.

"Hum mm..." Bruce told her before shaking himself. "Oh sure, yeah."

She hide herself into his shoulder making crying noises for good measure until Bruce had led them into her room.

"Darcy?" He simply asked so she looked at him, she knew her eyes had to be fully green now even though his were not.

"You need to tell me if he is about to get out, or if I should find a pair of Tony's shade for my eyes and I need to know now." She told him as reassuringly as possible.

"Honestly I don't know I never know when it's about you and not about a fight or pain or... Well you know where I am going with this." He explained.

"Yeah I know. Do you think I can talk to him or does he need to get out to hear me?" She asked.

"Well Tony said you could still feel him when I am me so it's worth a try." Bruce was a nice guy.

"Okay, Hulk I need you to calm down, because even if Fury or Fake-Phil wanted to hurt me all the others including Bruce would protect me but if they see my eyes like that people other than them could know eventually and neither of us want that to happen." She had no way of knowing if it would work until Bruce told her that her eyes were back to their normal blue so she kept going. "I know I am angry at them and sad and a million other things probably but you can take care of it after there are gone." She watched as Bruce nodded not to tell her they were good to go but to say that he was okay with that plan. "See Bruce says it's okay, next movie I am all yours but for now you have to trust that Tony, Clint, Tasha and Cap can protect me, just like Bruce trust them to protect Betty or Tony with Pepper..." She sat down on her bed dragging Bruce with her. "You need to trust them, they are your team, not theirs, not now, not ever again."

Bruce stopped her when they heard a knock on the door.

"Please don't be Fury, please don't be Fury." she repeated when the door opened. "Pepper? Betty?"

"We told them we'd checked out on you, Phil..." Pepper said.

"Fake-Phil." Darcy told her.

"He seemed worried to know you two were alone in here." Pepper finished before Darcy could interrupt her again.

"Shit" she said turning toward Bruce. "Don't do that to us man! Who cares what Fake-Phil think, or even real Phil for that matter, the others they don't agree with him." She said turning to ask Pepper and Betty "Do they?"

"No!" They both cried out shocked. "Of course they don't."

Darcy could feel Hulk calming down again. "Would it be better if Pepper and Betty went to the Garden again?"

Bruce nodded so she asked the two woman: "You mind? Pepper I know you and Phil were friends but you can talk to him after we sort this out, and JARVIS could pull up the video feed like last time so you wouldn't miss anything."

Pepper seemed reluctant at first but agreed and Bruce told Darcy that her eyes were normal again so they all got out of the room, Pepper and Betty taking the elevator without talking to anyone and Darcy getting back dutifully behind the Avengers, no one had moved while they were away.

"What the hell was that?" Fury yelled.

"You can yell all you want doesn't mean you'll get to have answers Nick. Remember I don't take orders from you? Thought I made that clear last time we met."

"You don't but they do." he pointed out to Tasha and Clint.

"Last I heard Clint was under Stark Industries' care and was benched from SHIELD until further notice, so he is on vacation and doesn't have to say anything either. I don't know about Tasha, but good luck getting her to tell you since it wasn't mission oriented or SHIELD's business." she snorted at him, channeling some of Hulk's calm which was weird.

"See good handler." Fake-Phil said again.

"You, I don't care who you are but if you were Phil Coulson you'd know I'd never work for SHIELD." Darcy snapped again, taking deep breath to calm down.

"I can assure you I am Phil Coulson, I could tell you secrets about yourself you don't want told out loud, or what you showed me that first time." he offered.

"That doesn't count, first you had my folder, you could just tell me stuff you read in it, second Phil told that story to Nick, and Clint, and Tasha, and I am pretty sure Peggy too so it's kind of public knowledge." She didn't miss the way Steve's shoulder hunched a little when she mentioned Peggy but she hoped to bring him to see her, maybe it would help.

"I never gave them details." He countered.

"Go on" She told him.

"I was having a panic attack at the hospital after my squad had been ambushed and I was re-living it when you sent images in my head, a unicorn, a Disney princess" he said eyeing the screen "and Cap."

"We know all that." Clint told him cutting Steve blushing session short for which Darcy could have gotten angry about in other circumstances. They needed to have a talk about it.

"But no one ever asked which Princess and before you argue that I could have guess it would have been hard to know which part of the movie she was coming from." Phil told them and met with silence went on. "It was Sleeping Beauty, and she had her ballroom dance dress the one from the end that keeps chan..."

"Don't! We said no spoiler Steve never saw it." Darcy interrupted him.

"Sorry Captain Rogers, far from me to spoil the fairy tale ending for you." Phil told Steve.

Because let's face it, it was Phil, no one else could have known that, she felt herself panic but not willing to have another Hulk episode she went where she felt safe without thinking, hiding herself on Clint's back before Tasha got her away, which was rude and she was about to tell her so when Clint took her in his arms, the Avengers covering them.

"Sorry, I forgot." She whispered in Clint's neck when she understood what happened.

"Shush. It's okay Darce, you didn't do anything wrong." Clint assured her.

"But your..." Clint interrupted her before she could finish putting her head against his neck, his hand on her hair, tilting her head slightly so people who would watch them would have thought they were kissing when in fact he was whispering real low in her ear.

"Don't say it." When he released her none of the Avengers had reacted even though she could see the beginning of a smile in Steve's eyes, but were others might have thought it was because of the moment of affection they witnessed she knew it was because he had heard Clint.

"I didn't know about that though." Phil said, looking more worried than before, which she found she didn't care about, she didn't see why he would have a say in Clint's love life after all.

"With all due respect Sir. You lied to us before. He clearly isn't dead." Steve said to Fury.

"Oh but he was, for a few minutes, medical took almost 40 minutes to stabilize him enough to operate." Fury explained.

"What about the bond?" Darcy asked, "it's not there anymore."

"I don't have any answers for you, we had hope being around Bruce and Tony so much maybe you had more explanations for us." Phil told her looking both hurt and relieved.

"I only came back last night, we didn't talk about it." Which was true, they never talked about it because she heard what they said that first night and she knew what Tess had told her but she actually never talked about the mechanics of the bonds with them, only about feelings.

"Well if you ever found out, I am being affected to another team, but I left my number in your folder." Phil told them dragging Fury toward the elevator, only to turn around as it opened.

"Clint, Natasha if I could talk to you in private." He asked and Tasha waited for Clint's answer as she always had, according to their file.

Clint took Darcy's head in his hand getting their forehead together, again it was only for the intruders, but Phil and Fury didn't know about that.

"I don't have to go." he told her clearly waiting for her to make a choice for them.

"No go, he is your friend you should go enjoy him not being dead." She told him pushing him playfully toward Tasha, "Both of you go have fun, with Walking Dead." she told them laughing. "And Phil don't leave without seeing Pepper, she might be able to forgive being dead, not being impolite to the lady of the house."

With that all four spies left and Darcy felt her legs giving up on her and Tony scooping her up to get her to one of the mattress, Betty and Pepper entering the room at the same time from the stairwell.

"Darcy, are you okay?" Betty asked.

"Peachy." She snapped. "Sorry," she told her friend getting her hands away from her. "I am fine, promise, I just need..." she looked at all of them, Clint and Tasha had left the room but it hadn't help at all "I need everyone to stop feeling things."

"Hulk could..." Bruce started to say but she stopped him.

"JARVIS did the spies leave anything behind?" She asked, surprised that no one else had thought about it.

 _Colonel Fury left a modified version of Sir's bug on the elevator door but I deactivated it. I can't find any other listening, watching or programing, device._

"Thank you JARVIS." Tony said going to check on the elevator device which was fried in his hand. "You can go on."

"Hulk would help." Darcy said but stopped Bruce when he started to unbutton his shirt. "Save a shirt, get naked! I appreciate that." she said giggling "but not now, I need you the both of you to be safe. Wait until JARVIS confirms Phil and Fury's departure." Bruce only nodded not caring about his half open shirt, to which Betty smiled fondly buttoning him back up.

"So let's talk about that kiss." Tony pipped up, because of course Tony would.

"But Dad nothing happened!" she whined rolling her eyes as far she possibly could. "Spies are so much better than normal people at being sneaky." She told him as Steve laughed behind her.

"Bummer." Tony laughed with them.

 _Darcy, Dr Banner; Agents Romanoff and Barton are escorting Agent Coulson and Director Fury to the doors right now. Miss Potts, Agent Coulson asked me to relay a request to meet for coffee once you'll be done with your movie obligations._


	19. life at a peaceful time

**Life at a peaceful time.**

During the first few weeks the Avengers took time training, Fury came to apologies and take back some kind of control over _his_ team, his agents, but wasn't all that successful. Clint and Tasha had already agreed to move in the tower, although the work on each floor would take time for them to have their own space. The designated common room, supposedly Tony and Pepper's Penthouse lower level, had enough bedrooms for everyone but even though they all told Tony that individual floors was a stupid idea at first, they now had to admit they couldn't live all pack up together.

Steve, the 40's boy, liked things to be all tidy and clean, never letting Tony's cleaning crew do their work no matter how many times Pepper explained that they were paying them fair money to do it and that they all signed non-disclosure contract he just couldn't leave dishes on the table, or his wet towel in the locker room his only concession with modern time had been to not do his laundry by himself but he had no choice on the matter Tony didn't own a washing machine.

Tasha, left weapons everywhere and spend the first week telling either Bruce, Betty, Pepper or Darcy to not touch that, not get their hands there, never to look between the cushions of the couch, or behind the books in the library. She managed to make it so people would trigger an alarm if they open her door without her already being inside, which led to trouble one time when she had been on a mission for Fury and Betty had needed her Starkpad she had forgotten after a girls' night spend secretly watching super-hero movies that they were always teasing the men about.

Betty managed to corner Bruce, telling him that she was here to stay, and that apparently Hulk wouldn't let him go away either so he had to decide for himself if he didn't want to be with her, she'd accept it but he didn't have any of his usual excuses for it. Bruce finally decide that he had been stupid long enough, he wanted and needed Betty in his life, and Hulk seemed to agree if the several hickey's the man had sported the morning after they had all overheard their fight was any proof that the Big Guy wouldn't be a problem for them. Bruce spent more time with Tony working on this or that, they had two separate labs on the same floor but after a while they decided to go with one big one when they'll renovate that part of the tower. Betty taught them all, new, or quick technics to attend to trauma injuries on the field, or in her room, in Darcy's case.

Even Buddy proved to be useful learning to help Darcy with the injuries she couldn't access on her own, even though considering his reaction the first time she cut her finger with paper reading a book, he might not be really helpful when the time comes. The poor little robot wasn't really reacting well to any of them being hurt but he had the worst reaction when it came to Darcy. He had learned quick nice things though, like how to get to the secure panic room behind the kitchen wall and drag non-fighter living beings there with him even if he had to push them until they do as he says. It had only been for an exercise and Buddy had trouble understanding why Bruce wasn't a non-fighter but he was still doing fine protecting the Avengers loved ones.

Tony spend a lot of time in the workshop, more than Bruce, and more than any of them actually knew, he seemed tired all the time, the few times he'd managed to sneak upstairs to Darcy's room to talk he had made her promise not to tell the others about his nightmare and his fear that it might happen again. Pepper had started working again as soon as Darcy had come back, thinking the young woman might help but she didn't know how to do it, she tried sleeping in the workshop a few times to remind him, of nighttime and of the people who he was fighting to protect. After almost 2 months, dragging him out of the workshop at all hours, thanks to JARVIS who woke her hope if he spent more than 24 hours without sleep, and forcing food down his throat she called for reinforcement. Rhodey suggested that living in the tower just under where the wormhole had been wasn't the best idea ever and Tony needed time away. They all talked and agreed that he didn't need to be there, Tony had means to get back to New York quickly enough that he could go live with Pepper in Malibu for a while if he wanted to. And he wanted to.

Clint still didn't want to go to the Triskelion but he agreed to get to SHIELD's NY office to do training and selection the new agents, debriefing about Loki and the attack on NY, and not punch the people from medical when they tried to ask question about Darcy Lewis, or Agent Ward for reporting her officially when he had been asked not to. He was also spending a lot of time at the tower overlooking the renovation with JARVIS' help so they would be protected and safe inside of the tower. Mostly he was the one Darcy spend the most time with, he would help her cook, cozy up with her for afternoon naps after she finally was able to sleep on her own at night, he would help her prepare lessons on culture and social etiquette for Steve, push her to get out of the tower more often, to meet up with Sharon as well as simply getting to Starbuck to get coffee Tony found offensive. But most of all he pushed her when she decided to sign a contract with Pepper to work for SI.

Because that was the biggest change of all, one they had all voted for, one they had all enforced and supported even when they were all sure people in the lobby of the tower could hear Fury calling names and saying it would never happen. Darcy might have taken a step back and torn the contract she had just signed over the afternoon if Clint hadn't been there with his fingers playing on the small of her back keeping her in front of Fury, forcing her to face him. And he had been right to do so because not even a second later the colonel had said something abusive and unfair, and when Tasha had tried to defend Tony, Darcy lost it, she yelled at the crazy pirate who thought her people had to answer to him, to the World Council, to the people who had tried to nuke Manhattan, they wouldn't even have Earth Mightiest heroes anymore, or a world to defend for that matter, without Tony.

That's how Darcy got a new job, how she became the Avengers Initiative Authority and Public Relations director, or unofficially, Avengers Babysitter. She had to organize their schedules, agree to their missions, and clean up their messes not including any mess Tony would make that would not be related to an Avengers' event because that would be just too time consuming and SI had a division dedicated to him. She had the right to hire, fire or offer anything she thought might be necessary. Basically she controlled the Initiative as she pleased, which she found a little overwhelming at first considering she didn't even finish her degree but Pepper told her to hire people to help and take time off to go to classes in NY to get her degree.

Her first decision had been to officially name Steve, Captain America as team leader, letting him make the choice over the team, their training, their weapons, their protocols, and even though she had final decision, the missions they agreed on doing for Fury or not. Then she hired a PR team, because ultimately she would rather stay faceless, mysterious. She organized a Press conference introducing Steve, Tony, Bruce and Clint as the Avengers, there were questions about a redhead woman but Tasha wanted to be able to finish some of her underground missions so she would be introduce publicly later. Darcy created the Avengers Children of the Future foundation, with the Avengers as board members so they had vetting rights over where the money was going. Then she hired a commercial team, consisting of people she had met at Culver and she liked, to oversee her idea of Avengers merchandise and test the market to see if it would create enough profit for the foundation to help with NY reconstruction.

All and all Darcy got Pepper to invest on her Avenger project, SI would finance the buying of the manufacture needed in exchange for 5% of the profit which was the minimum the law allowed SI to get back before it went as being legally a gift to the foundation and as so being taxed, if SI happened to be donating that same amount of money to the foundation every month that was nobody's business. And since Darcy was still herself and hadn't turned into another Pepper in a month, she called dibs on every new prototypes and started a collection that was slowly invading the office Tony had gave her which was conveniently just under the living area of the tower.

Once everything was in place though most of her work really consisted of babysitting bored Avengers, crimes had been back to normal over the city but convincing Steve he couldn't go around find people to fight, even bad people, because the people of NY needed to believe that the cops were doing their jobs. They needed to create a firm line between the things the Avengers were here to fight and those were the official authorities were to be relied on, and it needed to be enforced right away. Doom attacked NY because apparently he was missing the Reeds or maybe Johnny Storm, Steve and Clint had joined the fight helped the Fantastic Four, it was good PR and they were starting to drive Darcy crazy hovering constantly anyway, Johnny dragged them into a bar after that and she had to come fetch them at the Baxter building in the morning.

Clint and Steve had come closer, they were alone more often in the common area, with Darcy working more, Tasha taking missions after missions, Tony back in California for a month, and Bruce although more social with the other, liked to lost time in his lab more often than not. Darcy had come back up at night to find them playing videos games, making dinner, train at the gym. Steve had taught Clint how to throw his shield for maximum effect, Clint showed him modern fighting technics he had picked up on missions worldwide. Sometimes she would leave them to whatever they were doing, sometime she would stay there watching them silently, admiring their bodies, their perfect blue eyes, but mostly the smile they always seemed to suffer around each other.

Sometimes she would just go to sleep and listen has they play with each other, making jokes, teasing, basically spying on them.

"Darcy seems tense." Clint said.

"She is working a lot." Steve told him, they were watching a movie but they didn't seem to really pay attention to it.

"Maybe we could find something to do for her, like getting her chocolate or something seemingly patronizing." Clint offered and Darcy giggled in her pillow that was the worst idea ever but it had actually make her laugh and it's only when she heard someone else laugh in her room that she realized they had out-spied her.

"Hi guys!" She said trying to regain her composure sitting on her bed the cover tucked under her naked legs silently cursing Buddy for liking those two so much that he didn't beep when they come in her room anymore.

"Spying on us Miss Lewis?" Steve said between fit of laughter raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's my duty to know if my charges are happy by any means necessary." she said trying to stay serious but ending up laughing anyway.

"We were waiting for you to come up." Clint told her.

"Oh why is that? Needed a chaperone?" she told as a joke but seeing the twin blush they were showing maybe she should investigate on that. "What did you have in mind for tonight?" She asked before anyone of them could embarrass himself by trying to make a joke and ruin their little moment.

"Movie night? Clint says I'd finally get to know who Flynn Rider is." Steve said making the same "happy kid" face every 5 years old would made knowing they get to watch a Disney movie.

"But my bed is so comfy." she whined tugging the covers closer to herself.

Clint crawled over to her lying next to her in bed trying to find a good cuddle position when she was all up against her headboard. "It's a little cold." He said faking a shiver.

Darcy sighed, he was such a dork sometimes. She lifted the covers so he could slip under it to snuggle against her.

She knew that Steve was looking at them, they've been having this same talk several times already all three of them or just Steve and she, and she was tired of it. No matter how she said or showed it he didn't seem to believe Darcy would welcome the same behavior from someone who wasn't Clint, from someone she wasn't bonded to really. But Darcy actually liked that they were not connected, she never thought about anything when it came to Clint their bond was strong, she had grew up listening over him, she knew almost as much about him that she knew about herself, she had fell in love with him when she was 10 years old it was easy to welcome his kindness and his need to be close to her. Steve was new she didn't know anything about him, didn't even read the file Fury gave her on him, she wanted to get to know Steve not Captain America. He seemed always on the verge of following Clint and join their cuddling but always ended up seating next to them stroking a hand on her feet when she had work all day, massaging Clint's shoulders when they had trained at the range on the afternoon.

She didn't like that he was still feeling excluded. At first she thought that it was because he thought Clint and she were a couple but they had made it clear they were not, then because of the bonds but she explained that she didn't care, now she was very close to just whack him and drag him to her bed to cuddle. Darcy tapped on Clint's shoulder with a finger turning toward him showing her back at Steve, she was tired of his martyr act, he could jump in the middle of Doom bots trying to destroy NY with only his shield to protect him but God forbid he put a foot on a woman's bed.

"Cap doesn't like it when we eat in bed and I want popcorn." She told Clint snuggling closer when he lifted his shoulder for her to get to his side.

"Actually." Steve said lifting the covers to settle next to them making her squeal in surprise at his hot feet. "We ordered Chinese it'll be there in half an hour so we have time to start."

He explained this she was sure because Chinese food appeared a while later but she wasn't listening to a word he was telling, he got into her bed without prompting, and she wondered if she should go with it or ask why. When he tucked his body closer to hers tangling their legs together and putting his arms above her to get both closer and be able to play with the nape of Clint's hair at the same time, she decided talking it over was overrated and Clint making her shushing signs only made her believe it was the right choice.

"So…" she waited no really knowing what to say next, although the first thing that came to mind was, 'I am hot' but it would have been misinterpreted when all she meant was that Steve's body heated up the bed. " _J_ could you cue up Tangled?" she asked and watched as Buddy climb up the bed took one look at the pile of bodies around her made a beeping sigh and sat at the end of the bed next to the budge Steve's feet were making even patting them for good measure, that robot was going to kill her one day, he was definitely Tony's, no doubt about it.

All three of them got comfortable watching Rapunzel properly pan Flynn for being a creep, Steve making comments that his shield was as useful as a pan if not more, Darcy singing along "I've got a dream", Clint explaining why he would obviously make a good Flynn, since the man could blend in so well even in a city where everyone was looking for him. Steve and Darcy exchanged a look at that, no way would they miss him in a crowd but no point of telling him that. Steve disagreed on them eating in bed but took Darcy and her covers in his arms to get them to the living room were JARVIS promptly get the movie to follow them while Clint was arranging the food. Darcy was surprise when she was ready to get her usual spot on the couch but Steve scooped her up and sat her on his laps Clint sitting next to them using her knees to keep his boxes at arms' length.

"What are you two up to?" She finally asked when they wouldn't let her move after being done with dinner.

"Can't we just be having a nice night?" Clint asked making his fake innocent eyes at her, she knew those eyes, he had made the same when her date had suddenly changed their plan and cancelled on her last minute even if JARVIS had already informed her he was on the tower lobby.

"Nope, not when you're both acting all cuddly. What did you do? And how much paperwork am I going to have to file?" she told them turning over to face them.

"We have to go back to work." Steve finally told her.

"That I already knew, what else?" Darcy asked getting worried.

"You knew?" Clint asked surprised.

"I am your Babysitter remember? Plus you're this close to crawling the walls or turn evil just to have something to do." She said showing them her thumb and her finger touching each other because at this point she was just waiting for it to happen already.

"Babysitter…" Clint sighed making a face.

"It's okay. We all have work to do. Bruce and Betty aren't that much work and I was thinking about going to see Jane over the holidays." Darcy told them. At first she had hoped of organizing the First Avengers Gala, raising money and playing Santa to the city kids for their first Christmas all together at the Tower, but Tony actually needed them to vacate the place so the renovation could be done with faster and everyone was scattered around the world anyway not that any of them had actually mention Christmas anyway.

Steve tugged her closer to him when she said she would go see Jane, they all knew Jane was in London with Erik, but Darcy had kept to herself the part where Jane's mother had called her, pleading for her to do something so her daughter would leave her couch and stop talking about Thor all the time.

"You're going to London alone?" She heard and there was something infinitely wrong with the sound of that voice, Clint sounded worried and pained, but seriously was he thinking she'd stay home waiting for them to come back from mission?

"I'll have Buddy and well my new assistant, the one you all approved off and who was vetted by SHIELD and Pepper, he will come with me but other than that yeah, it's just a few weeks with Jane and Tony credit card, while you're going to run the world get shot out, or shoot other people, I'll be as safe there as I am here." She told them tugging herself closer to Clint so she was awkwardly standing with her legs above the both of them.

"Ian isn't trained." Steve argued.

"Don't I know that?" She told them laughing.

"And Jane doesn't know about your new job." Clint told her.

"So he'll be my intern, I'll figure something out, it's not like Jane is even going to notice him anyway." Darcy explained before looking at them suspiciously. "Is that why you're all cuddly weird?"

"Kind of." Steve told her putting the covers up over them.

"You're going to be able to sleep in London?" Clint asked.

"Well we'll never know if I don't go there, would we?" Darcy asked, convincing them it was the best choice was tricky but she got used to her overprotecting Avengers.

"Maybe we should make sure you got plenty of it before you go." Steve told them grinning standing up, holding her tight against him so she wouldn't fall, grabbing Clint's hand on the way to pulling him up too.

"And what did you have in mind?" Clint asked surprising Darcy who thought they were in it together.

"I kept thinking of the first night we all spend together and how well we slept so maybe we could take advantage of the privacy we have alone at the tower and find a way to be really well rested for our last night here." Steve said leading them toward his room instead of Darcy's.

"You guys both leave tomorrow?" Darcy asked she was sure their first mission wasn't supposed to happen for another week.

"Tasha needs me to join her in Marrakech." Clint informed her and sure she hadn't known about it yet but it wasn't like she wouldn't approve of it.

"I need to train with the strike team before I go on a mission with them, but I only leave for Washington on Friday." Steve told her.

"That I knew about." She said poking Steve's arm.

Soon they were at Steve's door. "I was thinking we could …" He said blushing against all odds, Darcy grinned, since they were all spending time together and they had been teaching him about the modern world, Steve had stopped blushing so much and she had missed it.

"You thought we could snuggle in your bed to keep warm and fuzzy." Clint helped him.

"Yeah… that's kind of what I thought" Steve said.

"And maybe we could stop thinking." Darcy told them pressed up between both men as she was, their warmth and gentle stroke over her arms, her wrist, her hair were incredibly distracting and soothing, if they didn't move to the other side of that door soon she was going to fall asleep in the hall and they'd had to deal with it. Even if she knew they didn't care, they had spent the night in uncomfortable position on the couch so to not wake her up after a movie was done, plenty of time already, as well as to carry her back to her room when watching them train was lulling her to sleep.

Steve opened his door and she had to be the one to go in first and take them with her.

"It's just sleep gentlemen, stop acting weird." She jumped on Steve's bed for good measure. At least they had changed into sleeping clothes when they went to eat so they didn't have clothing problems.

"Okay come here little frog, you're bouncing isn't getting me in a sleeping mood." Clint teased her. His sexual innuendoes had made her feel weird at first but not anymore, now she was finding herself wishing he would act on it instead of talking constantly, but where Steve had been hard to convince he had a place in her life even without a bond, Clint felt like their bond already took too much space in her life and that she deserved to find someone who wouldn't come with history and ghost that would cloud her life, and she still didn't know how to get rid of that one, even with him scaring off potential love interests.

"Whatever you want." She told him, getting down to lay on the bed.

"Get under the covers." Steve told her holding them up for her to get under.

"You two going to sandwich me again?" She asked self-conscious, not that she didn't appreciate it but feeling their cut bodies around her, their hands on the curves of her hips or holding her close stroking gentle fingers on her stomach was making her think about the fact that she hadn't hit the gym once for something other than ogling them or the amount of junk food they were eating since they had been left to their own device, or under the surveillance of Bruce and Betty which was more or less the same.

But all she got was twin groans from them that made her giggle and totally forget about her insecurities. She laid down in the middle of the bed tossing around until she found a good spot that would hug her curve properly, sticking her tongue at them when they laughed at her actions. Clint tugged his shirt off surprising her mid-giggle getting her to cough out a breath that had gone down the wrong way.

"What are you doing?" she said in a really high pitch voice even for her.

"Sorry, I can't get my shirt stuck in my shoulders and risk to pinch a nerve or something. Is that going to be a problem?" Clint asked putting himself between the bed and the door ready to flee.

Darcy ogled him up and down before sharing a look with a seemingly ogling Captain America, she should have bet on that, she managed to catch both of them a few times in similar compromising position.

"Nope, no problem." They finally both said at the same time making Clint smirk before jumping on the bed to join Darcy.

"Cap?" Clint said getting under the cover cozying up to Darcy and turning her so his hand could stroke over her ribs while they watch Steve who seemed to hesitate suddenly.

"I'm good, everything's fine" he told them taking his own place between the sheets kissing Darcy's forehead before getting on his back so she could scoot under his arm and use his shoulder as a pillow.

"Yeah we're good." Clint repeated kissing the back of her neck after he had brush her hair away so he could put his head on her shoulder to look at Steve.

"Good" Darcy told them, tugging Clint closer to her and putting her hand over Steve's rapidly beating heart falling quickly asleep. She had missed not sleeping alone after the Avengers and Co. went back to their own lives and stopped having time to cuddle with her for hours. Clint and Steve both always let her fall asleep on them but now she realized that this was different, this was more intimate, felt safer, falling asleep in their strong arms didn't require tossing around, music, or JARVIS telling her where everybody was in case of a nightmare, she just left herself drift off not even listening to what they were saying above her head.


	20. The things we say at night

**The things we say at night …**

When Steve woke up the sun was already high in the sky, in mid-December, it meant it was well past his usual hours and strange for a man who hadn't slept more than 5hours/night in the past 6 months. But then again he didn't woke up out of a nightmare or an alarm or even a strong feeling of coldness tight to his bones as he usually did, this time he woke up to dark brown hair tickling his forearm, soft curves hot in his hand, tiny noises of wonder and annoyance coming from the stirring woman glue to his side, so all in all it was far from his worst woke up call.

"Darcy?" He whispered as if he wasn't even sure she was the one in his arms, even though he clearly remembered the previous night, the way Clint had dared him to finally get over himself, the protest he had voiced at getting closer to her when he was going to leave her in a couple of days, Clint telling him that he should stop thinking so much about the others and start living his own life, that Darcy had waited to meet all of them since she was 6, a month apart wasn't going to send her away, not telling her he wasn't as opposed to getting close to her as he was trying to show might be.

"Where you hoping for someone else?" She grunted before giggling against his shoulder.

"I remember Clint being here when I went to sleep, but you don't really look like him." He said tugging her closer pushing her hair out of her face before putting a simple kiss on her forehead as he had seen everyone in the tower do before but never felt untitled to, his hand on her back gently stroking away the kink of the night on her lower back.

"Blond, grey-blue eyes, cut but a little less in your face than you? Wasn't wearing a shirt last time I had my eyes open?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Want me to make a mugshot for posters or something?" He asked amused by her description and trying to hide the rise of color at the motion of the shirtless archer who slept in his bed.

"Nah, was just checking I hadn't imagine that part." She told him pushing herself on his chest so she could have a better look at him. "He has the annoying habit of disappearing without waking people up if it's too early in the morning." She told him as if it happened to her a million times, even though for the past couple of months Clint and he had been on pretty flexible calendar, hovering over the Tower inhabitants.

"Talking from experience?" He asked his curiosity taking over.

"He used to do it all the time when we were still in New Mexico, Phil was annoying about shifts hours, but he usually leaves a note." She told him looking back to where Clint had been sleeping finding it empty. "I guess he didn't feel the need to anymore." She said shrugging even though her eyes were pained.

 _Good Morning, Darcy, Captain Rogers, if I may interrupt._

JARVIS always had such a polite way to do thing, Steve had consider asking if Pepper had taught him that, because he had seen Tony enter Darcy's room without knocking before and being cast away by a barely awake but deadly Widow, so JARVIS clearly didn't learn it from his creator.

"What is it JARVIS?" Steve said sighing when he laid his head back on the pillow realizing he hadn't stop stroking Darcy's back letting the tip of his fingers run along her spine, but he wasn't about to stop not until she either asked him to or they had to move because she was making this adorable little noise each time he trailed over a sour spot and if he didn't have the courage to ask if she wanted a massage he could at least do that for her.

 _Agent Barton entrusted Buddy with a message for the both you, if you'd allow me to open your door for him he is waiting just outside._

Steve was about to get up, not that he didn't trust JARVIS but once the door was open any one could come in, Tony included, you never knew when the man would do something as crazy as flying through the night from Malibu without telling anyone about it, but Darcy stopped him rubbing her nose against his stubble making him shiver and tense up all at once.

"If you don't want _J_ to open it, it can wait." she told him, "I don't want to get up just yet, if it was urgent Clint would have gotten Buddy inside."

Steve sighed and return to his stroking at least it didn't require for him to think about it and he could just stay there and enjoy the soft curves against him, the delicious heat of breath on his neck, the way her nose was tickling against the back of his ear, the way her hand was clawing it's way under his shirt... His mind short circuited when he took hold of what she was doing.

"Darcy!" He told her a little nervous.

"You could call me Darce if you wanted, the others do it. I know you let it slip sometimes" She said but didn't stop her hand from exploring the expense of his abs and he had a hard time thinking of an answer which from the smile he could feel forming on her lips against his collarbone had been her plan all along, 'better than to say they were all bonded to her' and get into another argument he guessed but still stopped her hand from wondering to much taking it on his own hand the fabric of is shirt keeping them from touching.

"Darce!" He said more assured.

"What? My hand was cold." She said giggling.

"And you thought it was the best place to warm it up?" He asked before he could think about it.

"Well I had ulterior motive." she said looking up at him for the first time that morning, she had a bright smile and her cheek where a little pink.

"Oh and what's that?" He asked squeezing her waist and her hand to remind her who was holding who here.

"Research." she told him with a grin. "See last night, super-archer-wonder-boy took his shirt off and you and I both know you looked too... So I have to know if the super serum made you really that different from hours at the gym."

"You spend way too much time with Stark." Steve told her but rolled her over so he could take his own shirt off, laughing through his own embarrassment when she coughed out a breath just like she had done watching at Clint the previous night. "You should have seen Howard's face when I got out of the pod looking like that."

"Don't really want to think about any generation of Stark right now" she told him still holding her hands away from him as if she hadn't been fondling him before.

"Darce?" He said hesitating again, honestly he didn't know why he had put his shirt off, it's not like he was in some kind of contest with the archer, Clint had won his body through hard work, had proven that he knew how to use it managing to put him on his back a few time when they were sparing, when Steve himself had grown his in a pod, through science and radiation, not anything to rub anybody's nose in. Not knowing where he was going or what he wanted to say he did the only thing that could distract the both of them.

"JARVIS open the door for Buddy please." he told the AI from the bed, holding his shirt up to put it back on.

"If you keep it off I'll take mine off too." Darcy told him with a mischievous grin, Steve laughed pulling her against him sending his shirt toward the chair by the end of his bed but when she tried to make good on her promise he stopped her, shaking his head.

"No need to go to extremes." He told her smiling when he saw her pout even though she seemed content to just nudge her way back into his arms almost sitting on his laps, which would have been embarrassing for the both of them, Steve having been able to avoid letting her know how her presence in his bed had affected him, even if her knowing grin when he manhandled her to sit next to him and not on him told him he might not have been as subtle as he had hoped, but who could have waking up next to Darcy. He suddenly felt the urge to ask Clint how he had done it so many times before.

They both watched has Buddy pushed the door open, took one look at their devilish, bedridden morning look and pushed the door back until they heard the click indicating JARVIS had looked the door back. The little robot boosted himself up off the ground to fly to them, it had taken a few burn sheets from Darcy's collection for him to learn that he could cut off his defector before landing, the worst that could happen on the bed was for him to bounce on it. Buddy stared at Steve making him wish he hadn't send his shirt far away, even Darcy laughing at the wistful beeping her companion made, didn't made him feel better. The Robot put out a little platform from inside his hand showing them a video message from Clint.

He had learned to do that when they were watching Star Wars. He had taken upon himself to only bring Darcy dark purple, almost eggplant like, candies while they were watching movies since the first Disney Marathon and none of them had known why. Of course JARVIS had offered to help but Darcy asked if Buddy had the means to explain it for himself reminding them that she wasn't going to stay at the tower 24/7 she needed to understand Buddy even when JARVIS wasn't around, JARVIS agreed and informed them that Buddy could find a way, he had everything he needed. The tiny suit, pouted for days after that refusing to play catch-the-arrow with Clint or stay still for Steve to draw him, and didn't get into the vicinity of Darcy until the day they watched Star Wars. The bots had beeped furiously forcing them to stop the movie, as usual he went to pick up the purple candies but instead of giving them to Darcy he scan them and used the projector on his palm to show what he wanted. A week later, the white and grey Buddy they had been used to flew back from Tony's workshop all dark purple with a black head, black hands and deep blue feet, Darcy telling them it was boots, he wanted to have shoes like her.

"Good Morning," the tiny image of Clint told them, Steve wanted to ask JARVIS to put it on the screen so they could see him better, but they had all learned a pouty Buddy wasn't fun and Clint had trusted him with his message for a reason even if it was probably to play Star Wars. "I had to leave early I didn't want to wake any of you. Tasha and I should be able to get back before Darcy leaves for London. Cap I'll see you in DC. Be safe. Barton out."

"So much for that." Steve said aloud without meaning to. He had hoped Clint would have left something more personal to them than a simple ' _See you_ ' if he had left the message with Buddy instead of JARVIS.

"Wait for it." Darcy told him amused holding a finger. "Buddy, how many times did agent Barton recorded than deleted his message?" She said waiting for the little bot to spill, but he stayed there shaking his head and not holding their gaze. "Did he ask you not to tell us?" she asked and he beeped once, their pre-arranged signal for 'yes'. "Can you tell me if it's more or less than a certain number?" again a single beep but this time Buddy looked up at them more intrigued by his owner game, and Steve had to admit he was interested too. "Is it less than 5?" She asked but Buddy beeped twice for 'no', "Okay, More than 10 then?" she asked amused by her own game, but once again Buddy told her no she stopped. "You did good Buddy thanks." She told the little robot cradling him against her to pet his head Buddy beeping contently at her.

"What? You're not going to ask for more?" Steve asked, a little frustrated to not have a definite answer.

"Why would I?" She asked releasing Buddy who flew to play with the shield has he was always doing around it, sitting on it and trying to stay balanced without falling, apparently it was hilarious if the beeping was anything to go by.

"I..." Steve started but really he hadn't even known why she asked.

"Look the first time he did that he used up like 20 pages of my notebook to finally ask me to dinner and tell me he put Tasha's number on my phone. With Clint it's not what the message says that's important but the time it took for him to write it, the amount of effort he put into just saying 'Good Morning be safe'." She looked at him but he must still look confused because she continued. "It's like when you get sick you call your mom end up on her voicemail, first you tell her you're sure you're going to die, but when the automatic voice asks if you're sure you want to send this message because you can delete it and try again, you erase it and tell your mother that you're just sick and feeling like you need a hug, and then the voice comes again, and you realize the last thing you want his for your mother to come visit when you're sick so you hit erase again, and tell your mother you just wanted to say 'HI'"

Steve didn't get the reference but he understood the sentiment, imagining entire talk in his head to admit his feelings to either Clint or Darcy and finally losing all his courage once he was facing them.

They stayed in bed looking at a happy Buddy for a few more minutes before getting up to get on with their normal day, sharing breakfast before going to work.

When evening came around, Bruce had told him he had plans with Betty for dinner and so he and Darcy would be alone. He thought about ordering her favorite food but he had no idea how long she'd be out at SHIELD's recruit center so he prepared a simple salad with pasta, something that would keep and would be easy to put in the microwave if needed. When midnight came around and even Buddy started to get bored of playing chess with him, Steve told himself that Darcy must have decided to go out, he would have liked for her to tell him, or at least take Buddy with her for protection but he had no right to control her life, and if he was honest with himself he knew Darcy wouldn't come up until everyone had gone to bed on the first night Clint was away, but he had thought him being there would help.

The next morning when he woke up after only 4 hours of sleep, he went to check on Darcy but found her door close, and contrary to other people around here, he wouldn't go in without being invited, instead he took the stairs and went down to the gym plummeting a punching bag until his knuckles hurt. He made breakfast for everyone after that, Bruce and Betty were usually awake at that time of day and it would have been impolite to not share with them, and he was hoping the smell would wake Darcy up. When it didn't though he decided that politeness was overrated and went to wake her up, holding a cup of coffee as a peace offering, he wasn't crazy after all, but when he entered the room he only found Buddy laying on Darcy made bed, he couldn't have missed her, Darcy didn't do her bed herself, explained to him that she didn't see the usefulness of the action since she would mess it up once again a few hours later.

"JARVIS, where is Darcy?" he asked worried _._

 _Miss Lewis is in her office, Captain Rogers._

Steve always found respectful the way JARVIS would always refer to Darcy as Miss Lewis whenever addressing someone else about her, even though he called her Darcy when he directly spoke to her.

What he found when he got to Darcy's office made him smile against his best effort, he wanted to be worried, mad, offended maybe but really who could resist a young brunette who fall asleep on her keyboard and was slowly pushing a little ball she had on her desk for stress relieve with every breath. He made his way around her desk to kneel next to her without waking her, put the coffee he was still holding on the little table against the window and slowly wake Darcy up putting his hands on her thighs to get her away from the desk.

"Darce" he said cradling her head in his hands as to get her off the keyboard. "Hi!" he whispered when she slowly opened her eyes rubbing them with the back of her hand messing up the remains of her make up.

"I fell asleep." She told him her voice rough from sleep.

"Looks like it." Steve said holding the mug of coffee to her.

"My hero." She suddenly cried out inhaling the hot beverage.

"It's just coffee." He told her amused.

"I am but a simple girl." She said grinning.

Steve didn't ask why she didn't come up the previous night, didn't tell her about dinner or how much he had missed not feeling alone up there. She probably had her own reasons for not coming back to her bed him telling her he had missed Clint after only one day surely wouldn't help.

That night though, after tossing again for the billions times since he got to bed he was surprise to hear a knock on his door. It was a very light knock as if the person on the other side of that door wasn't sure if they wanted to wake him up or just tell themselves they tried. Steve waited giving whoever it was the opportunity to walk away if they wanted but they knocked again and he was at his door before the sound of it disappeared from the air.

Darcy looked sheepish, like she hadn't know if he would actually agree to her simply being there. JARVIS had only lite up the red lights of the emergency exits and the aura of it was giving Darcy a warm glow, she had covered herself with one of the quilt she always had on the chair by the end of her bed, she once explained she preferred the comfort of it to wearing a robe even though she had to hold it awkwardly sometimes for it to cover her. Like now for example, the quilt was only long enough to cover parts of her, Steve could see that she was wearing one of Clint's shirt, the white one with the purple target on the front, the one he had been wearing than tossing away on the last night he spend with them, her bare pale legs standing out against the dark red of the quilt, she wasn't wearing any socks or shoes and she was doing this adorable things he always saw women do even back in his days, holding herself on her toes as if she was wearing some invisible heels.

"I can't sleep." She simply told him before he took her in his arms holding her close, guiding her to his bed, pushing the door close with his feet listening absentmindedly as JARVIS locked it.

"Shush." He told her even though she hadn't made a single noise, stroking his fingers against her back he help her seat back on his bed holding the sheets so she could slip under it and tucked her in for now.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, as if anyone else could hear them when the only other people leaving at the tower were already asleep in their room at the other end of the hall.

"Putting pants on." He said self-conscious about his clothing situation, he had been sleeping in his skivvies always finding the room too hot to fall asleep in at first but not wanting for JARVIS to change anything in case a lower temperature would remind him too much of the crash in Greenland.

"I don't mind" she told him grinning.

"I do" he told her a little rougher than he had meant to.

"Fine whatever you want." She told him before rolling around to face the window on the other side of the room.

"Darce…" He said getting in the bed not minding his state of unclothed so much now that she was mad at him. He got closer to her taping a finger on her shoulder to get her to look at him but instead when she rolled over toward him she nestled herself on his side, entwining their legs together holding her hands together palms toward herself as if afraid he might push her away if she had touched him.

"Hey what's wrong?" He asked her but didn't insist when she shook her head telling him she wouldn't speak that night, instead he took her in his arms pushing her hair away from her body so he could let his finger explore her back without disturbing it.

"Good Night Steve" she mumbled against his shoulder in a sigh and he looked at her fondly whispering it back into her ear before kissing her temple.

In the morning he was awake later than usual again, by an annoying little minx, Darcy had turned around during the night curving herself into his front, his arms holding her close to him, but she was stirring a lot, and it didn't took him long to know that she was doing it on purpose.

"Stop it." He hissed after gripping her waist once again holding her closer, while trying to get her away from his embarrassing morning erection, but seriously how did Clint deal with her in the morning.

"He gets weird and makes an excuse to leave." She told him making Steve realize he had ask aloud, he sigh into her hair kissing the top of her head.

"You going to stop it or do I have to get up too?" He asked trying to stop her from moving.

"Oh I think you're already up enough as it is." Darcy giggled making her move against him again, but when he made a move to get up and stop this 'oh so nice' torture she took his arm back around her. "I'll stop" she promised and tensed up a little trying all she could to not move against him.

"Turn around" he told her thinking they could stay in bed and not touch any inappropriate part of his anatomy that way.

She turned around her cheeks flushed, eyes wide open, her pupils slightly dilated and Steve thought maybe she wasn't as amused by the situation as she would like for him to believe. He hugged her tightly against him before releasing her letting his hand trace patterns on her hip.

"Sorry about that" he told before thinking better of it when he saw her smile rescind a little. "Darce, you're beautiful and half dressed in my bed, and you smell like orchids and fresh oranges and woods after the rain, and any men waking up against you not having this king of problems is a fool." He told her before taking a quick breath.

"I could help you with it." She said looking up at him nibbling at her bottom lips. And how much Steve wanted for her to just stop doing that before all his nice gentleman-y resolves disappear into thin air. Darcy had been flirting with him since Vegas, contrary to what Tony and Natasha liked to joke about, he wasn't a blushing virgin, and he saw the way she looked at him, the way she would always find herself close to him on movie night snuggling against him or letting her feet play against his thighs on night she would spend in Clint's arms. He had tried to answer to it without letting the others see it, but Bucky had always been better at flirting with women always whispering in his ears what he should do or say.

He came back to reality when he felt her fingers trailing down his abs tracing them with light touches, he took her hands in one of his stopping her.

"When you come back from London." He told her surprising her. "Once you've convinced Jane to come live here," he started because he knew that's why she wanted to go there, not to spend Christmas with her Best Friend but to convince her to come play into the scientists' wonderland Tony had promised so they wouldn't be an ocean apart anymore. "Once I get my mind in order and get to figure some things out" he sighed kissing her hands. "Then I'll get you out on dinner and we can go dancing and cuddle on the couch, and kiss and do anything we'll want." He finished feeling her shiver against him.

"You really…" she started but never finished not looking at him.

"I really." He confirmed putting he finger under her chin to get her head up so she would look at him.

"And what about?" she made a gesture to the other side of the bed with a knowing grin.

"Kind of what I have to get my mind in order about." He told her tickling her gently until she started giggling his arms again.

"I don't mind you know." She told him after a few minutes of silence, Steve took some time to understand what she was speaking about but hold her tighter when he figured it out.

"Yeah, I got that." He said not holding out his laughter.

They spend the remaining nights before his departure in the same bed, skipping the part where they would fake trying to fall asleep without each other, mostly talking and just holding on to each other Darcy visibly restraining herself from getting flirty once they were in bed, but clearly not caring about it during the day. She had decided to move her trip to London so she would leave on the same day he was, Betty and Bruce going to the Hulk approved cabin SHIELD and Bruce had built in the woods upstate for the holidays leaving the tower to the workers under JARVIS care. Promises of calls and pictures exchanged not just mission reports where made before the four of them separated in the garage, Betty awkwardly trying to get Bruce to move things along to give Steve and Darcy some privacy but Hulk wanted to hug Darcy good bye before going and Rumlow came to pick up Steve long before the Big Guy let go of her.

DC had changed since the 40's, it wasn't one of the cities he had visited on his week-long bike tour, no need for it, he knew that at some point SHIELD would ask for him to join them, just as he knew he would say 'yes' the second Hill explained Peggy had been one of the founding directors of the private agency.

The place they had found for him wasn't as extravagant as the one Tony was building them which he was thankful for but he also appreciate the fact that they hadn't put him in some small place not big enough for him to pace like they did in NY at first. He had space, he had books to read, music to listen to, a TV, a provided kitchen all in all he was thinking Darcy had a say in his living situation. He didn't have time to laze in though, Rumlow had just left him with the instruction to find the Triskelion words that his Bike had been left in the garage under the building, he needed to change into workout gear and meet he team up in less than an hour.

When he came back it was already late at night, he run into his neighbor on the way in, helped her open her door when he saw her with too many packs of groceries, and she offered to help clean up his bleeding knuckles saying that as a nurse she wasn't afraid of some blood but he was still too conscious about who was handling his blood, plus it was probably only residue he should have wash off before leaving training but he tended to forget about this kind of things.

He started to strip as soon as he got into his place, looking the door behind him. Training with Thor, Natasha, Clint, and even Tony both in and out of his suit had been fun but training for actual mission was exhausting the strike teams had all tried to take him off one at the time before teaming up, all loosing, but it was specifically the purpose of the exercise so he would know who the best were and be able to create an elite team for SHIELD mission as well as Avengers support. His muscles hurt in all the right places he had long forgotten about, but nothing a shower and a night of sleep wouldn't cure.

When he got out of the shower with only a towel on his hips though he was surprise to see that he had a visitor, nothing to be afraid about, apart maybe from finding out how he got in. Clint had made himself at home, still in his Hawkeye gear, sleeping on his couch, for a minute he thought maybe this apartment was supposed to be used as an Avengers safe place in DC and they all had a key, but he knew someone would have told him, plus… He looked around… Natasha would be there too. He wanted to wake the archer up, ask him what he was doing here, why he didn't go back to the tower as scheduled thinking the man had no way of knowing no one was there anymore, but he thought better of it when he bend down and saw the bruises and scratch marks on the little parts of Clint he had access to, instead he went to the wood chest by the end of the couch and pulled a cover out to put it on his sleeping team mate. But he didn't resist running his hand through his hair, eliciting a quiet whimper from the sleeping man.

Steve had been sleeping when he felt his mattress curve under additional weight, heard noises of someone unclasping something before tossing in the bed again, he remembered Darcy getting into his bed at night before remembering he wasn't at the tower anymore and waking up with a start.

"Shush." He heard and turned his head toward to voice to be met with Clint grey eyes shining from the outside lights filtering through the window.

"Clint?" Steve asked shaking his head to wake up a little more, he remembered leaving the archer sleeping on his couch not on his bed not that he had any complain in mind right now.

"Yeah sorry, I couldn't go back at the tower, not like that." Clint told him and Steve turned around to turn the bedside light on, watching as a shirtless sheepish Clint showed him the bruises and scratches covered more than just his face and arms.

"She left for London already anyway." Steve told him examining the injuries. "You went to Medical, right?"

"Yes Cap!" Clint sighed to him. "Tasha would never have let me leave SHIELD without it." He said and Steve thought about getting something nice for their little spider.

"Where is Natasha anyway? When I saw you on the couch I thought she would be close by." He asked curious, he knew he couldn't ask about the injuries tell him that sleeping here so Darcy wouldn't see was futile as they both would be receiving mission report as protocol specified whenever an Avengers went on SHIELD mission even redacted ones.

"She prefers scaring the crap out of baby agents when back from a straining mission." He explained shrugging as if it was the most normal thing in the world and maybe it was, it actually even sounded fun.

"Okay" Steve simply staid turning the light back off and letting his head fall on the pillow.

"I could go back to the couch." Clint said in a whisper not sounding all that sure of himself all the sudden so Steve tugged on the cover and hold them up for him to get under, if he had slept with Darcy snuggled against him for 5 nights he could sleep in the same bed as Clint for a night it wasn't as if he never shared a bed with a man before, the commando didn't always have the luxury of heat, or mattress to sleep comfortably.

"So Darcy is gone?" Clint asked after a few minutes of tossing leaving him on the far end of the bed laying on his stomach facing Steve.

"She didn't want to stay alone at the tower, Ian will join her in a couple of days as schedule." Steve explained, honestly he knew Darcy didn't want to have to sleep alone and they had no idea Clint would be back that same night or she might have waited for a few more days.

"Cap!" Clint interrupted his thoughts.

"Clint?" he answered not sure of what the archer wanted.

"Your sheets smell like her." He said, Steve blushing at the idea that he grabbed the sheets they had been sleeping in the night before put them in his pack before leaving the tower, and how he had changed them for the one already in place when he got out of the shower that night.

"I know." He told the other man hoping his grin wasn't too visible in the night.

"You didn't do anything I'd have to kill you for right?" Clint asked trying to be menacing but Steve could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Only promised to take her out when she gets back." He promised.

"Oh!" Clint said sounding sad.

"Told her I had things to figure out before anything could happen, and I think she does too." Steve continue trying to find the right words so Clint who was already trying to silently slip out of bed would stay where he was.

"Well she told me where Peggy was and I thought I'll go see her, I know I need to close that chapter of my life she had a long happy life but it might be easier if I could see if for myself." He explained.

"Oh!" Clint exclaimed again, and Steve was restraining himself from strangling the archer, Darcy was right with him details were more important than words.

"And I was thinking maybe there was someone else I was interested in." he said waiting for a reaction, but he didn't get any. Turning the light back on to check that Clint hadn't left the room without realizing it he found a furious Clint at the other side of his bed.

"You thought you checked if you found someone better than her before you made a move if the other said no? I thought you were supposed to be a nice guy." Clint hissed at him.

"Okay calm down. Not what it is about at all." Steve said trying to be as honest as possible with Clint and with himself. "Darcy knows everything about it, and encouraged me to look into it, I don't think there is anyone better than her for me out there." He said turning fully toward Clint. "Only someone different. Someone who might be interested in her as well as in me." He said taking his voice to a whisper forcing Clint to come closer to him. "Someone we thought might be intrigued enough to try and date the both of us." He saw Clint turning mad and glaring again so he continued without waiting for an answer.

"She told me it was not something people do anymore but it used to be, when people were attracted to the same or both sexes and needed to hide it from their family ,friends, common people, they would find a gal or a pal who would either share their interest or not care about it as long as they could be loved and have a happy wedding, and people lived close sometimes the other man would pass as an uncle to the kids, or the other woman would say she was the nanny, everyone knew what was happening but no one reported them." Steve explained lost in his memories of Mrs. Hashland from second floor and how Bucky and he had seen her kiss the nanny through her window once but promised not to tell anyone.

They told her they didn't judge people as long as they didn't judge Steve for running around fighting bullies, wanting to enroll, and Mrs. Hashland had baked them pies and explained to them how others in their neighborhoods share her lifestyle and how everyone in her little family was happy even though it was hard sometime, and how Bucky missed out on her Cherry pie when he made a disrespectful remark about Mr. Hashland being a lucky man.

"Steve?" He heard but it seemed far away from him. "Hey!" he heard again but this time he felt the light nudge of a hand on his shoulder and back out from his memories.

"Sorry I just remembered about amazing Cherry pies." He told him shaking his smile out of his face.

"Steve!" Clint said a little louder to get his attention back to him for good.

"Yes?" Steve asked feigning innocence, if Clint didn't get what he meant one more time he would be sleeping back on the couch for the rest of the night.

"Did you and Darcy actually talk about getting into a polyamorous relationship while I was getting myself beat up?" He asked eyes wide.

"Was I not supposed to be honest with her?" Steve asked watching as Clint let himself fall onto the mattress bouncing a little on it letting out a long sigh. "Plus I didn't even have to say anything she already knew and was very happy and intrigued when I told her the stories about my old neighbors lifestyle she said if I could convince him to get on board with the idea she was all for it because she shared my feelings toward him."

"I swear that girl is going to be the death of me." Clint said covering his head with his hands.

"Clint?" Steve asked so the man would look at him. "Get out of my bed." He said and got a surprised answered by the archer.

"But you said it was okay." Clint whispered as if anyone else could be listening on them.

"I did." Steve said sighing for the fun of dragging it along. "But that was when I thought you'd get that I was talking about you…" He said containing a laugh when Clint sprung up looking at him like he was a bomb ready to explode. "It's 2 am, way too early to deal with your lack of self-esteem." He told him rolling over so he would be on his side facing away from Clint to hide his smile. "Good night Clint." He told him and waited until the archer made a choice to either stay or go back to the couch.

Clint watched him for what seemed to be forever before groaning and laying back to sleep mumbling something about Tasha killing him.

"We're not telling her, not until we're sure it would work. Darce said she doesn't want anyone input on who she can or cannot date." Steve told him still not moving.

"Steve?" Clint asked laying back with his front to the mattress but his arm extended so he could let his fingers gently stroke Steve's spine making him shiver.

"Mmm?" Steve asked unhelping.

"When are you going to see Peggy?" He asked hope getting out of his voice.

Steve turned back to face him and took his hand with his entwining their fingers. "Tomorrow." He said before thinking he needed to be sure Clint wasn't agreeing just because he was afraid of losing them otherwise. "We'll talk more in the morning." He told him but Clint had already fallen asleep and Steve followed close behind.


	21. …In the light of day

**…** **In the light of day.**

Clint woke up groaning and certain that he would never play back up for Tasha ever again. Well that wasn't true, if she asked him to jump from the Empire State Building to save her life he would definitely do it, because it was Tasha and she'd have his back in the same way. Every part of his body hurt but it was his hand that worried him, he was feeling a weight on it, hot weight, it was weird, he moved his fingers, sighing when he had no problem doing it before realizing the weight was moving, the weight had fingers, and it wasn't Darcy or Tasha the hand was too big, he tried to remember where he was through the cloudy foggy part of his brain not totally shut down by the pain meds on the previous night.

Okay so Cap's place in DC, that's where he went, and it was easy since it's his building, Phil had help him invest some of the money he earned back when he was 'for hire' and convinced him that buying a building for SHIELD operative would pay well, which he was right about as always. ' _Focus_ ' he thought to himself, he fell on the couch because Steve was in the shower and it would have taken too much energy to explain why he joined him if he had followed through his first thought. He woke up hours later, someone had put a warm cover over him, the digital clock from the TV sound system told him it was 1:30 so Cap must have been asleep, he found a plate full of food and a note telling 'Make yourself at home' when he went to the fridge, thought about heating it up before deciding against if thinking it might wake Steve up, then instead of going back to the couch he followed the light breathing to the bedroom and got himself on the bed waking Steve up anyway and…

"Oh" Clint said remembering what they had talked about the previous night and why Steve was holding his hand in his sleep. He felt the other man's hand pull away after he talked but didn't want to open his eyes to look at him just yet.

"I thought you might not remember, just so you know we only talked." Steve said moving around to get out of bed.

"Don't go." Clint said pushing himself up until his shoulders started to protest and he grunted falling back down.

Steve looked at him through worried eyes but sat back into bed covering himself up with the sheets his back to the headboard.

"I remember what we talked about" Clint told him not sure of how to go about it. "It just took me a minute to get pass the painkillers fog."

"Shit!" Steve said trying to get up again so Clint crawled closer and put his arm around his legs to keep him from going anywhere.

"Stop trying to leave." Clint said remembering more clearly how easy it had been for Steve to get on with it a few hours before, how he seemed to have everything sorted out.

"Want to talk about it?" Steve asked with a grin on his already irresistible face.

"I might be fuzzy on some details." Clint admitted. "Did you ask me out?" Clint asked looking at Steve to see any trace of horror or surprise but only saw a bright amused smile. Clint swatted his thigh playfully. "Stop mocking me."

"I am not" Steve told him running his fingers through his short hair, making Clint regret not being able to let them grow longer. "You just have the most adorable confused face I have ever seen."

"Well you kind of caught me off guard last night." Clint tried to defend himself.

"Really?" Steve asked surprised. "Because Darcy seemed to believe I was pretty obvious since we've been left alone at the tower."

"Bruce and Betty?" Clint asked wondering if he was really the last one to know that Steve had a thing for him, he had seen him admire Darcy but who could blame the man, she looked like a pin-up right out of a 40's calendar and kept snuggling against one or the other of them.

"Bruce wouldn't see Betty if Darcy didn't put her in front of him from time to time. Betty caught me looking at the both of you but said she wouldn't tell anyone, she owed Darcy too much, and she is the one who said I should talk to both of you about it because she was tired of waiting to see which one of us would make the first move." He explained laughing.

Clint groaned into the pillow next to his head, he wouldn't deny he had been watching, gazing at Steve, but he thought he had learn to be more discreet about Darcy although maybe keeping her in his arms at all possibilities wasn't as subtle as he thought.

"You should take time, think about it." Steve told him nibbling his lips, something he had caught from Darcy a few months back and it drove Clint totally crazy especially at game night when the both of them would be lost in planning their next move and not realize the twin movement.

"Questions?" he asked and Steve nodded gesturing for him to go on. "I remember your little speech from last night, you already did that didn't you?"

"Bucky and Peggy." Steve say looking earnestly honest which was annoying. "Darcy had the same first question. Like I told her I'll explain later and none of you are replacement for them, you have some of their character traits, some of their wits, but at the same time you're all totally different."

Clint let out a breath he hadn't even know he was holding, Steve was smart telling things like that upfront, before it could become an issue but didn't mean it wouldn't end up being one someday.

"The bonds?" Clint asked because he knew it was something that Steve didn't understand didn't feel like he was a part of even though he was the one who made it happen in the first place.

"Like I said things to figure out." Steve said letting his head fall against the headboard. "I don't know how I'll react if something happens and you can feel it and I can't, I don't know if I ever be over the fact that you will forever love each other more than me, like I loved Bucky more than Peggy, you shared so much and will be sharing more in the future than either of you will ever be able to share with me." Steve explained and Clint wanted to protest but he was probably right, Clint liked Steve a lot was attracted to him like he never was of any man before but he had been in love with Darcy since the first time he heard her voice even if he only had admitted it to himself when he finally met her back at Puente Antiguo.

"We certainly can find a way to make you forget the bonds ever existed." Clint said sitting himself up next to him, not missing how Steve's gaze lingered over his bare chest, his lips between his teeth trying to get his mind back into the subject at hands.

"I don't have any doubts about it." He finally said smiling.

If they lost a few minutes just looking at each other no one had to know but them.

"I've never been with a man before." Clint told him honestly, settling himself back down on the bed snuggling against Steve thighs, not that he never thought about it but he never found someone he liked enough to give it a try before.

"I told you, you should take time to think about it." Steve reminded him, not looking as if he was in a hurry for anything.

"I think I did enough thinking, the past 4 months." Clint told him, sure he was a novice with men, never been in a three way relationship either, but if he had to choose who to get new experiences with, he would have chosen Steve and Darcy without thinking about it twice.

"You sure?" Steve asked stroking his fingers against the nape of Clint's hair trailing down to his shoulders making him moan.

"Mmm" He said nodding rubbing his nose against Steve's hip enjoying the moment for a little longer. It wasn't the first time the two of them hold on to each other and Clint had to admit it didn't feel weirder than when he was holding Darcy, maybe made him feel more curious.

"Darcy?" Clint finally asked because that wasn't a negotiable point.

"Woke up to my traitorous body one too many times." Steve said smiling, no doubt remembering the feel of Darcy's body against his.

"Tell me about it, JARVIS thought my preferred shower setup was cold for a long time." Clint told him groaning in his hands, he had quite of few of those problems himself but got it under control before Darcy could suspect anything.

"Did you really leave her alone in bed instead of telling her it was because of her?" Steve asked intrigued.

"She got that?" Clint asked thinking that maybe he could jump from the Empire State even without Tasha asking for it, it would be less painful than this talk.

"Seemed to think you were running away from her because it wasn't about her." Steve admitted and Clint was horrified.

"That's just crazy." Clint mumbled between his hands.

"I know I told her so. She said she caught on that after the first few times back at her room in Jane's Lab" Steve seemed to be amused with himself at least.

"I am an idiot." Clint grunted.

"Yep" Steve told him before he wasn't able to contain his laughter anymore.

Looked like the shy, stay back, won't touch them, or get all tense when he did have a chance to do it, Captain, was all a way to hide nervousness and anxiety, because right now Steve looked happy relaxed and like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders just by admitting what he really wanted out of life.

"God, you're beautiful." Clint heard himself say looking up at the little happy light dancing into Steve baby blue eyes.

"Need to get up, go see Peggy get back here and…" Steve stopped searching for his words one of his hands trailing up from the sheet tracing Clint's arm muscles all the way up to his collarbone letting his finger tip dance along his neck like light kisses, cupping his head in his palm and stroking his lips with his thumb looking for all the world as if getting out of this bed was the last thing on his mind, and honestly Clint could live without leaving the bed ever again as long as Steve continue to do that and Darcy was with them. As it was though he kissed the tip of Steve thumb before breaking the eyes contact looking anywhere but at Steve.

"Go!" Clint whispered, he wanted for it to sound more determined more like an order but he only managed to make it sound like 'stay' instead of 'go'.

"I…" Steve said before pulling Clint closer to him, and wasn't him being able to manhandle a grown super spy a turn on for Clint, kissing lightly his temple before getting out of bed. "Call Darcy she said she wanted to know as soon as we talked about it, she had ground rules until she got back." Steve put clothes on as if they were his uniform and they were needed for a battle, compared to the infinite time he had seen the man take after showers at the gym, he couldn't believe how blind he had been in the past couple of months.

As soon as Steve was out of the door, Clint got out of bed to retrieve his phone then took a minute to think about the 'no food in bed' policy and thought he'd get breakfast after he had talked to Darcy.

"Clint!" She cried out when she answered after only 1 ring. "So how is Steve's place?" she asked calming down suspiciously quick.

"Darce?" Clint asked curious.

"That's me." She told him clearly amused with herself.

"How do you know where I am?" He asked showing his annoyance.

"It's my job to always know where you all are." She said and for a second he thought it was logic, Tasha could have told her where he was, before he remembered he had told Tasha he was going to his place, he didn't even know why he was on the wrong floor other than he had missed Steve and knew the man would take care of him. How could Darcy know?

"I am going to need more than that." He growled at her.

"Okay, okay don't get all grr at me." She said and he could imagine her putting her hands in the air in defeat. "Steve sent me a text this morning saying you two would talk in the morning"

"Oh" Clint said trying his best to sound like he had bad news to tell her. "We did and he is gone now." Clint said putting all his training into sounding serious.

"You…" She started before audibly gulping. "Okay." She sounded actually disappointed.

"Darce? You actually thought it would work?" He asked seriously curious to know what she really thought about their possible future arrangement.

"Yes! Yes, I thought it would work! Honestly I wanted it to work, I saw how you two look at each other and I am not self-conscious enough to not see the way you both look at me too, and when Steve told me he wanted to ask me out all I could think was 'I don't want to do it without Clint' and he told me he wouldn't do it without you either and it felt perfect." She said sniffing a little which made him feel bad about lying to her. "I never even thought you would say no."

"I didn't." Clint rushed to tell her. "I am sorry I didn't know you would feel this bad about it, I just wanted to know why you said yes."

"That was really mean." She said pouting.

"Darce, I love you I can't wait for you to get home so we can be together, all three of us." Clint told her feeling really bad.

"What about Steve?" She asked because of course she would wonder about that.

"He isn't that hard on the eyes." Clint told her joking.

"You're lucky you're cute." She joked back.

"Darce, Steve said you had rules." He tried to change the subject.

"Oh yeah rules, where is Steve?" She asked.

"With Peggy." He told her "Said I should ask you the rules why he was there."

"You got something to take notes?" she asked clearly giggling.

"I think I can remember how to not screw up for once." Clint sighed.

"Yeah don't say that for starter no one is screwing this up, we've been leaving together and growing closer for 4 months we'll be fine." She scowled him.

"Rules Darce." He grew impatient, wanting to take time to shower and maybe sulk a little before Steve came back.

"Yes rules. First one, no one screws us up." She said giggling.

"Darce!" He sighed.

"What I am serious that's the most important thing." She said before continuing. "We have to talk about things, that's been a rule for me since Vegas but it has to be a rule for all of us." She didn't give him time to reply. "I didn't even get a kiss before leaving because he wanted to go see Peggy first…"

Clint had to interrupt her at that. "You can't ask me not to kiss him Darce, that's like torture, you're planning on staying with Jane for a month."

"I am not that mean, Crazy man." She said laughing. "But no sex without me."

"When are you getting back home again?" He asked suddenly feeling like maybe being in a bed where Darcy and Steve smell were imprinted in the sheets was a bad idea.

"Keep it in your pants Barton." She said clearly mocking him.

"What else?" He groaned.

"Nothing else." She told him seriously.

"Those aren't rules Darce." He said.

"Well now they are. We talk about things and no sex until I get back home. After that it's all fair game though we're free to jump the one who comes closer to us when we are in the mood even though the other isn't there but the first time should be all three of us."

"Deal." Clint said to her hearing Jane talking in the back ground. "I thought Steve said 'no telling people'?" Clint asked assuming Jane had overheard everything.

"See another rule. And Jane wouldn't even know if we were making out in front of her, she discovered the mind erasing pleasure of Day Time Television." Darcy informed him.

"Ouch! That bad?" Clint asked feeling sorry for Darcy.

"Apparently a house full of geniuses can't manage to show the resident Alien God how to use a phone, weird right?" Darcy explained to him.

"To be fair you didn't do it either." He told her.

"I know I am one of the geniuses." She whispered. "Look she seems semi-conscious I should try to talk to her."

"Darce…" he whimpered.

"Missed you too but you two could call me back tonight, if you're not too busy making out." She told him amused.

"You're night or ours?" Seemed to be a legit question until it left his mouth.

"Which ever I don't mind my boys waking me up." She told him and hearing her called them her 'boys' woke up something possessive in him, something he hadn't thought about since Sharon became involved with looking after Darcy at Culver, she was their girl. "Clint?"

"Still here." He said as she would have doubt that.

"I love you too." She said before hanging up.

When he took his phone away he saw that he had a few texts, Tasha wanting to know if he was still breathing, and if he had to be honest he wasn't sure anymore, this all morning seemed like one of those weird dreams he had whenever medicals has to put him under, and Steve telling him that he would be back for lunch, before sending another text saying he had to stop at SHIELD on his way back so to not wait for him.

Clint got up, went to make coffee, he still couldn't believe he had two serious talk about feelings before his morning coffee, than took a shower, some of his pain meds and went back to Steve's bed to sulk peacefully.

He started to wonder why those two people would actually have any interest in being with a fucked up ex-carny like him, but always ended up back to the same thought, ' _I could at least try'_. It's been months that they spent together and not once had he felt like he didn't belong or that they would rather do stuff just the two of them always spending free time all together, and he loved Darcy, missed Steve as deeply as her when he was away, and really wanted to know what it would feel to kiss the both of them after spending so much time cuddling and touching them.

Before he knew it he heard sounds coming from the door and rolled over to take his gun in his pack, waiting for the intruder to get inside. When he turned around the corner between the door and the bedroom he saw Steve putting his shield off his back and holding bags of groceries.

"You're going to tuck it back into your underwear?" Steve asked watching Clint with a devious smile.

Clint felt a blush rising when he realized that he must have fallen asleep when he was thinking after getting out of the shower and didn't even take time to put on some more clothes before getting back to bed.

"I have to say it's quite a sight to come home to though." Steve told him, making Clint groan damn Darcy and her rules, they clearly never saw the real flirtatious Steve before.

"Darcy said no sex." Clint told him immediately hoping Steve would turn down the bedroom eyes he was showing off, while he put his gun on the shelf closer to the bedroom.

"I know she told me before she left." Steve said smiling at him. "That doesn't mean no fun though." He added putting his bag down next to his shield and walking toward Clint who suddenly felt like his feet at melted into the floor.

"Steve…" Was all he was able to get out before the man in question invaded his personal space, his eyes following his fingers on his skin, the tip of his fingers as soft as baby skin slowly coming up from his own fingers up to his shoulders in feather light touches, making him shiver so badly he thought maybe he should take the last step so he would be able to take advantage of the eternal heat Steve's body always radiate off. But he didn't had to because Steve came closer to him playing with his thumb on his lips like he had done that morning and Clint remembered he had hands too, awesome hands that never missed their marks, so he gripped at Steve's waist getting him closer so they were breathing each other air. Clint getting back some of the brain cells he lost the moment he realized the 90 something tall blond had games, pulled the thumb Steve had left on his lips into his mouth nipping at the tip, trying to coax Steve to make the first move.

And it worked as intended because suddenly the finger he was playing with disappeared to be replaced by lips, soft, tender, full, demanding lips on his. That's how Clint realized Darcy rules sucked. Steve was an amazing kisser and Darcy had been stupid not to take advantage of the opportunities she had spending 5 nights with him not even kissing him.

Steve backed him up against the wall holding his head firmly with one hand the other stroking soothing distracting things on his hip, Steve's warm lips coaxing his open letting his tongue running over his lips gently, nibbling at his bottom lips to get him to moan into the kiss, Clint used the brief moment his moan seemed to have allow him to sneak one hand under Steve's shirt getting the other man to let go of his lips momentarily, Clint only gripping harder at him to get him back to what he was doing, not missing a beat once Steve lips were back on his guiding Steve's exploring tongue to follow his own into his mouth taking over the control of the kiss, brushing his tongue against Steve's guiding them back out of his mouth when Steve started to whimper, but not letting him pull away, super-soldier should have learned to kiss using their noses to breath in theory and Clint was having way to much fun to let go. He bite off gently at Steve lips letting himself get back to the moment gently soothing the bite with stroke of his tongue.

"Clint" Steve said in a broken moan that got Clint to let go of him for a moment to look at the men who not 5 minutes before had been all confident and teasing and who was now out of breath looking as subdued and devilish as Clint was feeling. Letting themselves get down from their passion induced high, they stayed against the wall their forehead touching, stroking kind fingers into each other skin.

"This is so not helping." Clint finally said laughing in a rough low voice.

"Lunch?" Steve asked not moving away from Clint as if he was hoping the other man would say no.

"Sure" Clint told him pushing him back just enough for Steve to think they were done before taking him back against him gripping hard at his shirt as he let his lips explore his jaw, his neck, Steve taking hold of the wall on either side of the slightly smaller man, letting whimpers and moans get out of his mouth as Clint explored what would make Steve fall on his knees, finding a spot just behind the lobe of his ear and licking it getting the super-soldier to claim his mouth back eagerly, all thoughts of lunch forgotten as Steve was brushing the tip his tongue against the sensible part of his palate.

Steve groaned pushing himself away from Clint after a few minutes getting off to grab the forgotten bag and walking around an amused Clint to get to the kitchen. But when Clint tried to join him Steve stopped him.

"No! I need like 5 min where you're not at grabbing length." When Clint started to groan too Steve look up at him. "Put on some clothes please."

"Still having fun?" Clint managed to say before disappearing to the bedroom. He pondered the effect of taking a cold shower now when he was going to spend the afternoon with Steve after it and decided against it, also deciding that he should seriously consider sleeping at his own place until Darcy got back.

"You know what?" Clint said putting his hands on Steve's waist to hold himself higher so he would be able to see what the man was cooking, even though he really didn't care.

"What?" Steve said smiling at the pan trying to ignore Clint, which did not sit well with him.

"Darcy said we should call her once you get back home" He told him placing a butterfly kiss at the back of his neck. "She said she didn't mind if it was the middle of the night in London she wanted for her boys to wake her up." Clint felt the shiver he was waiting for when he said 'her boys' and watched has Steve closed his eyes, probably not a good way to get the image of Darcy being theirs out of his mind, but Clint had no plan of helping with that, kissing the back of Steve's ear tugging at the lobe with his teeth and watching as Steve's knuckles went white on the handle of the pan.

Steve turned his head so he could kiss Clint deep and rough but leaving him breathless all the same.

"You're the one who said 'no sex' didn't mean we couldn't play." Clint teased.

"I woke up to Darcy's amazing ass rubbing against me for almost a week and didn't even kiss her. I can resist you" he told Clint putting a quick peck onto his lips. "Our girl will be back before we know it."

It was the kind of thing that would usually have Clint jump into daring mode but he had to be careful, he had to respect Darcy's ruling too and getting all riled up about getting Steve so close to the edge he wouldn't be able to resist would get the both of them in the kind of mess he never wanted to be in with them.


	22. BFF stands for Best Forgiving Foster,

**B.F.F stands for Best Forgiving Foster, right?**

Darcy had only been down in London for 45 minutes when she got a text from Tasha saying they were back to DC but wouldn't get to NY until the next day. She swore nicely getting looks from the clearly too easily frightened security guards of the airport and thought about her life choices once again that day. Honestly who could blame her?

First she had to take a commercial flight to London because taking the jet as Tony as so generously offered wasn't as stealth as he seemed to believe it was. Then there was the baby, the too young to travel, ear piercing crying baby, she did understood his pain, remembered reading about ears anatomy on her search about why Clint would be deaf and the part where is was clearly explained that babies suffer from the pressure difference because their ears aren't entirely grown or something like that, plus they were too young to chew gum to get rid of it.

Second, she had left NY two days before she was supposed to because she didn't want to end up alone at the tower, even though JARVIS had offered to entertain her and now Tasha and Clint were both back and she felt the never dying need to go check them over for possible life threatening injuries, even knowing Tasha's eventual demise wouldn't have been missed on her. But if she was honest with herself she wanted to be in DC call over Steve tell him they should meet Clint immediately and don't get too stressed over their little plan to fulfill their hearts' desire with mighty superhero love.

"Grr!" She growled once again thinking she'd be here for a month while they probably get together before the week ended and it was Friday.

Another side look from the stubborn guard took her away from her phone after she took the time to tell Tasha she already left.

"Dude! For the tenth time it's a prototype I am supposed to present at a scientist convention. I already gave you the paper." She told him waving the papers once again under his nose. She didn't know how JARVIS had gotten her the invite and the official papers to be able to bring Buddy with her but she guessed Stark money was to thank for that, and she would gladly thank him if only the zealous custody people would let go of Buddy, who had immediately turn off when she asked him to be really really nice and quiet.

"It looks like Stark's suit, it could be dangerous." the man told her.

"It's because it's a toy for kids, it's way easier to sell them stuff that look like the avengers this days." Darcy sighed loudly.

"I am sorry Miss but I can't allow you to carry it out of the airport." The man didn't look sorry at all and that really didn't sit well with her.

"You know what in about 5 minutes when you get demoted to garage security don't come crying at me, I won't be sorry." She told him putting out her phone once more.

"Darce?" Tony asked not even sounding surprised to hear from her.

"Okay I admit for once you were right." She said knowing she didn't need to explain further.

"Told you Buddy would never pass custody." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"They want to destroy it." She whispered knowing that Tony gave the little bot in the other room super hearing and not willing for him to panic if he heard it.

"Not going to happen." Tony said firmly "Give your phone to Officer Frog."

"Please don't start an international crises I am supposed to be off duty." she reminded him before handing her phone to the officer keeping her from her trusted companion.

She only heard part of the conversation but the man who didn't believe he was speaking to Mr. Stark himself at first blenched when she heard a third voice on the line, Tony no doubt having patch his superior through the phone.

"Yes Sir, of course Sir..." was heard a lot over the next 2 minutes before the man offered her phone back getting out of the office to the other room no doubt to retrieve Buddy.

"Darcy?" Tony asked her when she stayed silent for too long.

"Yeah sorry." Darcy told him getting her brain back to him.

"Next time when I say take the jet, you...?" he said waiting for her to finish.

"Take the jet." she admitted defeat. "But I still think it kinds of defeat the purpose of me pretending not to know you." She reminded him.

"So we'll fly you on someone else's jet, contrary to popular believe I do have friends." Tony informed her.

"And you didn't suggest it this time because?" She asked a little annoyed even though it wasn't at him but at the people who were still not bringing Buddy back to her.

"I was very busy." He told her sounding tired.

"Go to sleep Tony!" she told as a loud beeping was heard from the other room. "On second thought wait a minute I am putting you on speaker." she said approaching the room finding men surrounding her Buddy one of them holding a gun at him even though the bot had both arms raised in surrender.

"What the hell did you do to him?" She yelled at the human forms in the room.

"We had to check if it wasn't caring any weapons Madam." She heard getting herself between Buddy and the armed men which totally defeated the purpose of Buddy sole existence but she didn't care.

"Stark!" She said and started a staring contest with the guards for the next minute until someone busted in the room.

"I apologies Miss ..." She glared at him when he was about to give her name, "As I was saying" he started over, "you are both free to go with our sincere apology, and of course your employer" she had to roll her eyes at that really, she knew that she needed a cover for Buddy but the idea of her working for Stark just made her want to giggle very inappropriately. "as already taken care of making sure you were never here." he said more to his men than to her holding the door as she took her suit case and Buddy's with her on the way out, someone waiting for her on the other side with a cart and her name on a board.

"Tony, did you send a driver to the airport?" she asked putting her phone back to normal use.

"No I did not." he said a little worried.

"I did" she overheard and smiled, she had never met the woman but had spent enough time on the phone with Jane's mom to recognize the voice.

"Are you in immediate danger?" Tony asked her and this time she couldn't hold the giggling anymore.

"Of being smothered to death by Jane's mom hugging me maybe but Buddy distracted her so I am safe for now." She told the ever worried man. "Thanks for the help back there." she told him and didn't gave him time to protest as he usually ended up doing whenever someone offered to thank him. "I definitely wouldn't' mind a lift home when the times come though!" She said not wanting to go through all this again in a month.

"Will be there when you'll need it, honey." Why did Tony usual flirtatious act always sounded fatherly to her she had no idea, but she actually liked that he and Pepper seemed to be agreeing on the 'spoiling my girl' act he was trying to pull, Pepper being even worse than the Man himself.

"Good!" she said well heartedly she might have objected to a few things at first before realizing that the more simple 'weirdly normal stuff for a billionaire' things she refused the crazier the gestures tended to get. "Now go sleep! I'll know if you don't and don't think I'll hesitate to call on higher powers."

"No need to get Rhodey involved on my sleeping schedule, I'll sleep when I'll need to." He said laughing even though she knew it wasn't anything to laugh about.

"I was thinking Hill, because Fury is a softy at heart but yeah Rhodey would do it too if I threaten to withdraw War Machine's next upgrade from the calendar." She said shrugging through her grin even though she knew he couldn't see it.

"You're an evil woman Lewis." he told her.

"I do what needs to be done. 1 hour nap and I authorize JARVIS to let you play with the implants for Mark 42." she offered.

"Fine, 1 hour." Tony said, and she hummed knowing that he would get at least 2 and hoping JARVIS would be able to wake him up at first sign of an eventual nightmare.

"Talk to you later Tones." She told him before hanging up knowing full well he'd never answer to that.

She joined Jane's mom, the driver and Buddy further away, the poor little bot trying all he could to look inarticulate since they left the comfortable privacy of the custody office, making Mrs. Griffin squeal in surprise when he went from dead to alive in the span of a second once in the car, and making the kind woman double over in laughter when Darcy had to chastise him for scaring her when he knew better.

Jane's mom left her at the door of her apartment, telling her that she'd be eternally grateful if she could at least manage to get Jane to take a shower before she'd come back home later that night, and that scared Darcy a little. She opened the door asking Buddy to stay in the doorway to look at their stuff while she explained the concept of a baby Iron Man to Jane and got in, than got out quickly to check if she had the right door number, because no way on Earth that woman, sprawled on the couch, hair bristly, stains on her shirt, correction stains on Thor's shirt, smelling like she had worn it for way too long, could be her Jane Foster, astrophysicist, genius, and normally at least half functioning person when she wasn't sciencing.

"Jane!" Darcy cried out startling her, but the form her friend embodied from the couch only turned enough to look at her and wave before turning back to the TV.

"Day time TV seriously Jane?" Darcy yelled watching on the screen as Melissa Joan Hart kidnapped Mario Lopez to bring him to her family for Christmas. Darcy huffed when she didn't get any reaction from Jane and turned around to grin at Buddy who perked up at the sight always up for her shenanigans.

"Want to play with me?" Darcy asked him and Buddy beeped happily, he must have been even more bored than her on the flight here, the miniature arc reactor on his chest plate allowing him to never go to sleep. "Fine come on," she said making him follow, getting their stuff inside and locking the door being her. "See that human on the couch?" Darcy asked pointing at Jane and Buddy beeped thoughtfully no doubt trying to find a human under the pile of covers. "I need you to go to her and find a way to snuggle yourself against her." She said but stopped him before he could fly away. "Remember last month when I was sick?" she waited for Buddy sad beep before continuing. "Great I need you to do exactly what you did then." She told him with a smile.

Darcy took a seat on the chair next to the couch watching as Buddy hovered over her BFF, without Jane even realizing it. Jane only hissed a little when Buddy finally dived in and shimmed himself against her, sending a reproachful glare to Darcy who smiled waiting for the next part.

"What the hell?" Jane finally cried out after Buddy beeped contently indicating that he had accomplish his mission.

"Something wrong?" Darcy asked gesturing Buddy back to her when Jane sprung up tearing herself from the covers and the smelly shirt.

"That thing is really hot." Jane yelled at her.

Darcy put her hand over where Buddy's ears would have been and tutted at Jane, although she had to agree silently smirking, Tony had put a heater in Buddy's system so she could hug him everywhere and stay warm when she got sick and wouldn't just stay in bed as Betty had told her too, and it could get really hot.

"Darcy?" Jane said finally looking at her and Darcy couldn't keep from laughing anymore.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's alive." She said moving her hand in a fake showing of Jane.

"Thought I had 2 more days to sulk." Jane admitted sitting herself back on the couch.

"Because you would have suddenly stop whatever this is called to pick me up at the airport in 2 days?" Darcy asked jokingly.

"Arghh." Jane grunted.

"Sweetie pie!" Darcy said getting Jane's attention. "You smell as bad as the time we tried to drink ourselves to death." She explained pushing Jane to what she hoped would be a bathroom or at least the woman's bedroom.

"Can take care of myself." Jane protested weakly.

"Sure Jane-y keep telling yourself that." Darcy told her while she got Cheetos out of the scientist's hair.

"You have a tiny purple Iron Man" Jane suddenly cried out turning herself around to look at him.

"He has a name and if you take a nice long hot shower cleaning your hair and everything I tell you all about him." Darcy told her. "If you brush your teeth I'll even let you play with him for the rest of the day." Don't blame her, Scientists need incentive to be human sometimes.

Jane grunted mumbling something about not missing Darcy at all that the woman didn't take at face value before locking herself in the bathroom for half an hour.

That night, Mrs. Griffin came home for dinner before telling them she'd be sleeping at her boyfriend's place while Darcy was there, Darcy didn't ask because you never ask a woman who offers you shelter where her husband disappeared to but she remembered Jane telling her, they moved to London because her mom married an English dude. Then she let Jane play with Buddy a little while longer before deciding her bed was calling her.

In the morning she was greeted with a sight of absolute nightmare, Jane was back under the covers, hopefully Darcy had had time to clean them the day before, but worst Buddy was comfortably sitting with her on the couch looking as his life was hanging on the hand of weird looking cartoon doctor.

She gave up on trying to get Jane up immediately noticing that she had sleep late and it was almost 1pm, she considered cooking lunch but spotted a box of pop tarts and decided that it had to be good enough, making enough to share with Jane.

She sat down on the chair looking at the TV for a couple of minutes before remembering her phone was charging back in her room. She sat down on the bed to check it smiling helplessly when she saw a text from Steve.

 _Captain Cute: If anyone asks Clint wasn't at my place last night._

She almost dropped her phone realizing it meant they might even not have waited for the end of the week.

 _Darcy: Going to need more Intel, for obvious professional reasons._

 _CC: He'll call you later._

 _D: But Steveeeeeeeeeeeeee_

 _CC: Like I said I'll make sure he calls you later, he is still asleep._

 _D: You're no fun Rogers._

 _CC: Trust me we'll get to the fun-with-me part as soon as you come back._

 _D: 5 freaking days, you've been teasing me for 5 freaking days. Who are you and what did you do to Steven Grant Rogers?_

 _CC: Just thought it was about damn time you met him and not the ever-careful Captain America._

 _D: Great I am a BIG fan of Steve Rogers but the suit is totally going on my fantasy list though, both of your suits_

 _CC: Got a thing for pointy thing?_

 _D: Depends on who is using it._

 _CC: Got to go, I'll get back to you on that._

 _D: But it's Saturday._

 _CC: And Clint is waking up, you still want me to talk to him don't you?_

 _D: YES!_

 _CC: miss you D._

 _D: Miss you too._

Well that made her suddenly feel way better about her day trying to wrangle Jane out of that couch, the warm coffee from her mug finalizing her little bubble of happiness.

But on the other hand, apart from his one night stand with Tasha and his quick marriage to Bobby, Clint never talked to her about his love life, and sure as long as she had Steve to cuddle along and assure her that everything will be fine she believed him, but seriously was Clint even into men? She had caught him looking at Steve often enough to make herself believe it but she had ogle Tasha too and might have even fantasized about getting the Widow out of her skin tight leather suit but it didn't mean she would ever actually act on it. Clint had looked like he really appreciated the attention, gestures and other hands on his body action Steve was peppering the both of them with this past couple of weeks but at the same time he seemed totally oblivious at the ever shortening shorts she was wearing on their movie nights, they both were, so she kept surprising herself when she could never follow a dark thought long enough to actually believe the other man would say no.

She was still daydreaming making a face at her now cold coffee when her phone rang in her hand.

"Well that was quick." She said to herself answering the call.

Clint was a mean man, so mean in fact that she actually thought for a second about his idea of 'no kissing' but Steve didn't deserve to be punished. The man did decide he had mourned long enough even though she was pretty sure Clint and she would have waited longer if he needed it, which might still be the case after he went to see Peggy, that old lady knew how to get you to like her. Nope she wouldn't have mean thoughts about Aunt Peggy the women was over 90 and her all new Steve Rogers was still in his 20's no matter what his birth date stated, Peggy was sweet she would understand, and Peggy liked her, even though Steve would probably not tell her who it was all about since they had no way of knowing if she might accidentally tell someone else.

Darcy needed to keep her mind busy and not think about how she was thousands of miles away from her men who would probably be making out all day, it was so unfair she should at least be allowed to watch.

She went to see if Jane was in any space of mind to pay attention to her, deciding she didn't care when she saw her hair were being used as food storage again.

"Never under my watch!" Darcy gripping both of Jane's hand and getting her off the couch. "So what if I-am-the-god-of-thunder didn't call when he was in NY, you were in Tromso anyway, did they even have cellphones there?"

"Darcy, it's in Norway, even in the desert we had cellphones." Jane told her.

"So? I've never been in Europe before, could be a foreign concept for them who knows?" Darcy explained, not believing a word she was saying but riling Jane up was often the only way to pull her out of her mind.

"Don't think I didn't notice you having 2 phones Darcy." Jane told her raising an eyebrow at her. "Why do you have 2 phones?"

"In case one of them dies?" Darcy offered shrugging.

Jane sighed but by then Darcy had already pushed her to the kitchen away enough from the couch to not be a problem anymore.

"Can we talk about Buddy?" Jane asked.

"Sure what do you want to know?" Darcy inquired.

"You told me everything he can do, let me play with him and all but I still don't know where he is coming from." Jane explained.

"It's the Tin-Man's baby." Darcy told her while chopping vegetables she found to make a soup.

"So you keep telling me, it doesn't explain anything." Jane took another knife and began helping Darcy.

"Tony made it for me." On second thought maybe not the best thing to tell a knife waving Jane.

"You finally met Stark?" Jane said pointing the knife at Darcy, who was trying to get Buddy to not interfere.

"Well someone had to be worried about me when NY happened." She told Jane.

"That's not fair I tried to tell SHIELD I wouldn't go anywhere if they didn't get you, they said you were safe." Jane told her resuming her chopping duties.

"I was, Stark and the others made sure of it." Darcy admitted.

"Wait the others?" Jane asked looking at her like she often did with her math.

"Okay you know how on TV they said Captain America, Tony Stark, Clint Barton and Bruce Banner are the Avengers?" Darcy asked.

"And Thor when he is on Earth which happens close to never." Jane said, though Darcy had thought it was a nice touch to her BFF at the time.

"You remember them asking about a woman?" Darcy continued nervously she was hoping to only have this talk with alcohol in her but she wasn't up for lying to Jane for a month.

"No don't tell me, the infamous Natasha Romanoff?" Jane asked planting her knifes into the cutting board

"Alright get away from dangerous objects please." Darcy told her handing her a pot to put water in. "Yes Tasha is the mystery woman."

"So you're bonded to half of them." Jane told her. "I don't like it."

"Well..." Darcy said nibbling at her lower lips.

"No!" Jane cried out. "Not possible, everybody from Culver knows Bruce Banner only mate is Betty Ross" Darcy cringed at that, she definitely had stuff to talk about with Jane if she wanted for her to come back to NY with her, just maybe not her love life, first because Jane's boyfriend was in another galaxy and it wasn't nice to rub her two super-heroes boyfriends in her face, second because she promised the aforementioned boyfriends. "And Steve Rogers if the media are telling the truth and he is really the original Captain America"

"He is." Darcy said absentmindedly nodding not seeing the incredulous look Jane was sending her.

"Then he is too old to have any bonds." Jane finally finished.

"So I might have met Hulk..." Darcy mumbled putting salt into the boiling water.

"You mean you bonded with Hulk right? With you I assume it's just crazy enough to be what happened." Jane told her.

"It's not like I am doing it on purpose." Darcy told her sitting down on the kitchen chair.

"No it's not." Jane admitted. "So Buddy?"

"Personal bodyguard? A gift from Tony so I wouldn't be lonely at Culver after I went to see my mom without telling the Tower people." Darcy told her.

"Tower people?" Jane asked.

"You know the people who leave at the Stark Tower." Darcy vaguely gesture to Buddy as if it would explain anything.

"You mean the Avengers?" Jane cried out.

"And their significant others." Darcy added.

"How did you even escape their hovering I remembered Clint always having an eye on you?" Jane asked finally more curious than mortified.

"Skipped town when your boyfriend took his little brother home." Darcy said waiting for the explosion she was sure was about to be directed at her now that she knew Darcy had been with Thor at the time but it never came.

"So did you learn something new?" Jane asked resigned and Darcy told her everything that happened from the theory about where the bonds came from to her chat with Tess.

"You talked to the Tesseract?" Jane was angry at her this time. "Please tell me Stark made videos, took measures, I am going to need that."

Darcy let her head fall on the kitchen table, stupid people, that's what they all were, they didn't even think about sending their research to Jane before Darcy asked if she could bring her back from London, Jane could have used Tess measurement with her boyfriend problem.

"I am sorry I didn't think about it earlier. But good news I came to offer you a job at the future Avengers Tower, you'll be able to play with all of Tony and Bruce's toys" Darcy told her, Jane looked at her like she had something in her teeth which was not possible, pop tarts didn't leave trace.

"You're offering me a job?" Jane asked a little skeptic.

"I kind of am the director of the Avengers." Darcy muttered.

"That's so cool." Jane told her, and wow this was not the reaction she was waiting for, but to be honest Jane was the only person knowing her she was able to tell so she had nothing to compare it to.

"You think?" Darcy asked surprised.

"I know you'll be great at keeping them alive, it seems to be the most important thing at least it was when you were working with me." Jane surprised her.

"I miss you though." Darcy told her.

"That's a killer recruiting speech." Jane said giggling "Do you use it often?"

"Only on you the other people I befriended in my life are already all living at the Tower or working with us." Darcy said smiling at her. "Oh I need to ask Erik too."

"That might be a problem." Jane told her.

"Why? I thought you were here to work with him." Darcy asked.

"From my mother's couch?" Jane asked looking dubious.

"Fury told me you didn't want to stay states side so he entrusted you with Erik." Darcy said getting increasingly angry.

"Fury?" Jane asked.

"Director of SHIELD." Darcy told her.

"Yeah they don't take my calls anymore." Jane told her.

"Come again?" Darcy said.

"SHIELD didn't exactly agree with me leaving Tromso, they send Sitwell to tell me they needed me to stay where I was longer, and he said I couldn't visit my mom but I did it anyway," Jane explained.

"You go girl." Darcy interrupted.

"so they blacklisted me from almost every place I applied to last summer, the only places I could go to are all government controlled which just 'no'" Jane finished.

"Oh so you're not just sulking over Thor here? And you don't know where Erik is because they never told you and he wouldn't trust SHIELD anyway." Darcy summarized. "That does sound like the World Council, they'll need you when Thor comes back."

"And the Avengers don't?" Jane asked before looking up shocked by her own words. "Sorry."

"I only want you to be happy and protected and Thor might be less torn if you would live with the people he agreed to protect Earth with." Darcy told her. "Plus Tony is a very generous benefactor." Darcy told her giggling.

"I'll think about it while you're here." Jane finally tells her.

"Good enough for me. I just need to make one quick thing." she said holding a finger. "Buddy come here." She asked and contrary to Jane the bot got away from the TV immediately. "I need you to ask JARVIS to find Erik Selvig for me Big Boy. You can do it right?" Buddy beeped at her offended, but she had to ask who knew if his personal connection to JARVIS was intercontinental.

"Who's Jarvis?" Jane asked.

"Oh you're going to love him. But Tony says I can' tell people who JARVIS is, he likes to surprise them."

"Want to go drink to your promotion?" Jane asked and Darcy was half tempted for a minute before she remembered she promised not to make herself too visible.

"Did SHIELD left any one keeping an eye on you?" Darcy asked.

"Yep." Jane said.

"You have alcohol here right?" Darcy looked around thinking maybe Jane already drunk her mother's booze.

"I have Rum and maybe Vodka in the freezer." Jane said looking at her strangely.

"Good enough for me." Darcy told her.

"You planning on getting me out my day-time-Tv binge by staying inside the apartment?" Jane asked confused.

"For the next two days." Darcy told her, she was supposed to still be at the tower, they all took infinite care of not telling SHIELD she had left early, or showing Ross' men outside the tower that she had left at all but she needed time for JARVIS to make sure she wasn't followed not that she cared but she promised Steve.


	23. london calls

**London Calls.**

"My boys." Darcy cried out when she unlocked her phone.

"Are you drunk Darce?" Steve asked because Steve was always the perceptive one even though Hawkeye was probably sitting next to him, or maybe on him.

"Totally." She said giggling.

"Want us to call you back tomorrow?" Clint asked and Clint had already been mean enough for one day.

"Stop being mean to me Clint." She told him.

"Not being mean, just thinking about your health." Clint said.

"I'm drunk not sick. We did a drinking game to celebrate my new job. We watched Pride and Prejudice, I had to drink every time someone said Darcy" she explained "they say that a lot." She stage whispered.

"And what about Jane?" Clint asked amused.

"Drank more than me because Jane is there more than Darcy." She told them.

"Sounds like you two had fun." Steve told her amused.

"Oh, I figured out something" Darcy yelled at them.

"Shush Darce you shouldn't yell remember?" Steve said, Steve was nice she should remember her secret.

"Shushhhh." she told herself mostly but Clint and Steve both laughed with her.

"What did you figure out Babe?" Clint asked.

"Babe, Ba-be, B-a-b-e..." Darcy started to say surprised by the endearment calling.

"Darce?" Clint said interrupting her.

"Victorian people were stupid, they should totally have been committing into Polyamorous relationship, they would have cut like half the movie and I would be way less drunk." She stated.

"Not a subject a lot of people know about." Steve told her, because he was the one knowing a lot about it after all.

"I didn't tell Jane that People were stupid. Buddy the sober buddy made sure of it." Darcy informed them.

"You could tell her if you wanted it was your idea not to tell people." Steve reminded her.

"That would be mean. Thor is like really really far, telling her I have not one but two men waiting for me to have sex back home would be crazy mean, I am not mean." Darcy told them.

"Not about the sex Darce." Clint told her firmly.

"I know that, you know that, but Jane doesn't." Darcy affirmed.

"Oh you know it do you?" Steve teased.

"Totally, because you didn't jump me even that time I spend half the afternoon in a swimming suit even though Tony totally emptied the swimming pool to prevent Hulk accident breaking it until it's reinforced." Darcy said stocking her tongue at the phone not caring they couldn't see her.

The twin groans from the other end of the line made her giggle again.

"You did that on purpose?" Steve asked.

"Oh because you always take 10 minutes to put on your clothes after a locker room shower, Mister I-can-be-in-my-suit-in-under-10-seconds." Clint said and Darcy sobered up a little.

"You never invited me to shower in the locker." She said accusingly.

"Totally didn't know it was a flirting spot until this morning." Clint explained innocently.

"Sounds unbalanced." Darcy told them. "Steve, Clint totally wears sleeveless shirts around the house on purpose because he knows he has great arms."

Steve laughed hard at that one. "We played 'battle of thumbs' before every movie night to know who would get to cuddle with you." He told her.

"I am liking that game." she told them "Steve bought tight clothes on purpose I know JARVIS told me when I asked if there was a mix up in your order."

"You're a little minx in the morning." Clint accused her.

"That I totally am, waited to see if you would forget the 15 years old me already." Darcy told him.

"Oh I never even thought that." Clint said offended. "Just didn't want you to think I thought we needed to be together because of the bonds."

"Ah! Ah!" Darcy cried out. "I knew it. Any comments from the peanut gallery?" she asked when she heard Steve snort. "I don't think not going for it because you thought your lack of bonds would be an obstacle was that much better." She told him.

"Ouch!" Clint said on behalf of the both of them.

"And you never had doubts?" Steve asked.

"Didn't know I could have the both of you, but totally not ashamed to admit I flirted with both, you're smart, and cute, and kind, and totally blind." Darcy told them.

"No I knew." Steve told her making her chock on a breath.

"That's..." She said searching for the right word in her foggy brain. "Bad." she finally settle on.

"I am really bad at Flirting." Steve told her and she couldn't resist laughing.

"I saw you flirt with Mister Oblivious next to you." Darcy said between burst of laughter.

"Hey!" Clint protested. "I was very busy, getting you away from other men."

"Tony's my dad, don't need another one." she yelled at them and was met with a never ending silence. "What's wrong?"

"Tony's your dad?" Clint asked sounding worried.

"Totally" she said.

"You never told us that before." Steve told her sounding worried too.

"If you two stopped to focus on other people than us for a minute you would have totally caught it." Darcy accused them, the silence was lulling her, and she really didn't know why they sounded so worried Tony was totally a cool dad, not like her real one.

"Does it mean we have to ask him if we can date you?" Steve asked.

"Why would you do that?" Darcy asked confused, sure Tony would have a fit about it but he didn't have a say, and if she had to choose one of them to ask permission about dating her she would have thought Hulk would be a better choice.

"Yeah people don't do that anymore, plus you didn't ask about my dad before you crushed my kissing-a-man V-card against the entry wall, I am deeply offended." Clint told Steve.

"Oh, oh, I totally knew that." Darcy told them, "No wait not know that, knew it..." She shook her head and tried again. "Knew about the man part, want to know more about the kissing part." Finally chose.

"Darce, our man is a damn good kisser, and he has game like lots and lots of game." Clint told her still sounding impressed.

"You two made out all day didn't you?" She asked.

"Totally did that" Steve confirmed.

"Oh I missed your first make out session that's not cool." she told them sounding sad even to her own ears.

Her phone shimmed a few seconds later letting her now a video was waiting for her she opened it and watched as Clint who was clearly holding the phone took possession of Steve's lips, she could see their tongue mingling and she was totally considering asking Tony to create a teleporter for her.

"That's so hot." She said insisting on 'O' the video totally sobered her up giving her other thing for her mind to be drunk with.

"Guys?" she said when none of them answered her but cut off the call after a while, feeling sleepy, and even her imagination trying to tell her what was happening from the sounds she could hear didn't help keeping her awake.

"We are sorry." Clint and Steve both told Darcy the next night after they decided video chat would be better than a phone call, JARVIS' secured lines had their advantages.

"Don't tell me you're still on that!" She sighed and they shared a worried look, they had spent the day trying to figure out how to make it up to her after they got so carried away that she hung up on them the previous night, they were even pretty sure it took them a very long time to register she wasn't there anymore.

"It won't happen again." Clint told her, really he was the one having the most trouble believing she didn't care as she had texted them in the morning, he promised himself he wouldn't screw things up and on the first night he already get himself carried away and ignored her.

"You two are going to listen to me. I was really drunk and would have probably fell asleep on you anyway. And even if I wasn't, I totally don't care, I only regret not being able to enjoy it, hence the video chat so I can watch, because that little video of yours was really hot." She told them and Clint felt better, jealousy had been obsessing him all day, thinking maybe watching them kiss had been too much for her to handle and they would lose everything because they hadn't thought about that.

"Also please tell me you spend the day cuddling and making out enjoying the new couple glow and not worrying about me." Darcy asked them.

"Sorry we did neither of those things." Steve told her.

"Tasha has no 'Sunday, bed day' policy" Clint told her.

"And apparently SHIELD neither." Steve added.

"Well don't ever use me as an excuse to not make out. Just send pictures if you feel guilty." she said laughing.

"You're pretty easy going with all this." Clint finally said, he had been going with the flow mostly because he was in love with her and his lips felt amazing on his body, but trying to explain to Tasha that no the hickey on his neck didn't mean he finally got some was harder than he thought.

"You know me, after everything that happen I think we all deserve happiness, and you both look pretty happy to me." Darcy explained.

"And what about you?" Steve asked.

"Well Jane is a pain in my ass and learned the Tv guide by heart so she wouldn't miss her freaking telenovela, and you two are really far away so not that happy right now." She said holding a finger up to tell them to wait before interrupting her. "But about having my two male best friends, cuddling buddies, the two only people in the entire world who always make me safe and cared for just by holding me, the two kindest, sweetest people I have ever met wanting to be in a relationship with me, yeah that I am a 1000% happy about."

"Darce!" they both whispered at the same time.

"Just telling things how they are boys." Darcy said smiling brightly.

"Maybe but we didn't know you felt like that." Steve said, Clint nodded his approval, wondering briefly were Steve was finding words to answer her when all of his seemed to have escape him.

"Oh I thought it was pretty obvious." she said shrugging and losing her smile a little and that wasn't something he could get on board with so he did something stupid like he always did.

"I never forgot the sound of your voice in my head that first time, wanted to protect someone who could still like and take care of me even knowing what I did for a living." Clint told her. "And after I met you back at Puente Antiguo, I wanted to quit SHIELD so I could stay with you."

"I am glad you didn't." Steve said kissing his temple gently.

"Would have met him anyway, I was still under Tasha and Tony's watch." Darcy told him.

"But we would never have won against Loki without him." Steve told her.

"Oh I don't know that one I want to know." Darcy told them laying on her bed front down her head on her hand for support.

"I didn't do anything, Tony saved the world." Clint protested.

"Shush Babe, I know better." Steve told him squeezing his hip into his hold.

"Oh so 'Babe' is a thing now?" Darcy asked giggling.

"Trying stuff out until I find one that sticks." Steve explained.

"I don't like that one." Clint admitted even though he was the one who used it the previous night.

"Whatever you want Sugarplum." Steve said as seriously as he could until Darcy laughter took them both over.

"Come on Babe I want to hear the story." Darcy said regaining some of her composure.

"Babe, hum?" Steve asked.

"Well I believe in reciprocity, you were the only one we didn't try it on. And it's definitely a no go." She informed them.

"Dully noted." Steve told her. "So the tale of how Clint saved the Avengers, First he was the only one of us who knew how to fly a Quinjet." Steve started and Clint rolled his eyes, Tony could have flown it.

"That's very important the battle would have been different if you got stuck on the Hellicarrier." Darcy joked making him groan, it was going to be an embarrassing moment for him, Steve better make up for it later.

"Then he shot Loki preventing him from killing Thor." Steve continued totally ignoring his tentative to distract him by running his hand along his bare legs as they laid cuddled on the bed.

"Thanks for saving him." Darcy said looking very serious.

"Covered Natasha, while I was busy, while saving innocent by standard. Got up on the roof and told us what was happening where and who needed help, told Tony how to lose his tail, shot Loki with an explosive arrow with a very impressive accuracy when he tried to take down the flying vehicle Natasha had borrowed allowing her to get on the roof where she was able to shut down the extractor. Ergo Clint saved the world." Steve listed looking so proud of him, Clint felt a blush creeping out. "Tony just helped." Steve joked running his hand in Clint's hair.

"See no one thought about telling me that after I tried to kill Tony all by myself." Darcy told them nibbling at her lip clearly amused with Clint's predicament.

"Hey Clint, want to keep that hand a little lower?" Steve suddenly asked him and Clint realized that he was playing with the hem of Steve's boxer short not his own as he thought.

"Is he touching you in inappropriate places?" Darcy joked and Clint grunted, he was going to die, they were going to kill him.

Steve turned the laptop around so Darcy could see where Clint's hand was still tracing circles.

"Clint hands of the merchandise." She told him and he couldn't help but laugh at that tracing his hand back to play on Steve's thigh. "I can't believe you two are almost naked in bed and I am not there to enjoy it."

"We could sleep separately if you want." Clint offered, because he had already thought about it like every time make out session had turner into them needing to be on opposite sides of the room in the past 24 hours.

"Nope but I do want to level the playing the field" she told them getting out of the camera for a few minutes. "Need to cover the goods." she said but Steve looked at Clint confused and he didn't have any idea of what she meant either, well he didn't until she took her shirt off revealing her ample breast covered by a lace and silk bra showing them she was wearing matching panties when she got back to lay on the bed.

"That's so not leveling the playing anything Darcy." Steve told her little breathlessly.

"Seriously Cap you need to stop squirming like right now." Clint told him, because he might have taken his hand off the boxer short of his cuddle buddy to avoid 'not allowed' touches but Steve's hip was rubbing against him and Darcy's display was really not helping his own Boxer wearing situation.

Steve only gripped him tighter at his words and took a few deep breath eyes closed to calm down, obviously Bruce must have told him some self-control trick that he should share with the rest of class because Steve stopped rubbing, and stopped looking like he wanted to have sex with his laptop too which was clearly a little sad.

"I think we should all go to bed," he said before rectifying "to sleep, and we should all wear clothes on face time because it's only been 24 hours and SHIELD doesn't have the budget for me to use up pent up energy at the gym."

"I said no sex with each other I never said you couldn't deal with any pent up energy on your own." Darcy told them. Clint looked at Steve thinking that they should have thought about that before. "In different rooms." Darcy added, and suddenly Clint's mind was projected with a myriad of picture of Steve staying next to him he hadn't been thinking about a minute before.

"Darcy just stop talking you're not helping." He growled at her.

"Good night boys" she told them still amused before cutting off the call.

"Nope I am absolutely not plotting rapid hurtful ways to kill Tony." Darcy told them when she answered her phone. "Jane is crying out from the living room I supposed it already made the news." She said getting herself up to answer the persistent knock on her door.

"I am fine jane-y, Tony is not dead." She told her friend, "Yet" she mumbled afterward.

"But the house, and Stark, they say no one saw him get out of the house." Jane dragged her in front of the TV.

"What the hell happened?" Darcy asked her boys when she saw the Malibu house exploding on repeat on CNN. "FYI I am putting you on speaker it's just me, Jane and Buddy." she told them.

"The mandarin almost killed Happy and Tony didn't took that kindly, he gave his address on television earlier telling the terrorist to come and fight him and well he did." Steve explained.

"I am going to kill him." Darcy repeated again and again until another voice interrupted her.

"Get in line, honey." Pepper told them, 'thanks JARVIS for the Starkphone amazing service' Darcy thought.

"Oh by Thor, you're okay, you were not in the house right? Are you injured?" Darcy asked her.

"Tony got me into the suit and out of the house just in time." Pepper told them. "Darce is he...?" she said but couldn't finish the sentence.

"He's fine, almost drowned so I guess he fall into the ocean but he is fine, pissed off even and worried, probably about you." Darcy assured Pepper first but all of them at the same time.

Suddenly Buddy started to beep and the same noise came from far away on her phone, JARVIS patched them all to a voicemail Tony left, saying he was okay, but he had something he needed to finish before he got back.

"I think if I kill him, I won't feel anything" Darcy offered, "I gave a bruise to Tasha once when we were in an intense tickling war." She heard Clint ask Steve where they were when that happened and giggled. "And the bruise never showed up on me."

"That's not how it works I already told you that." Tasha was added to their conversation.

"I think it's worth a try." Darcy insisted.

"Don't do it." Bruce joined them.

"You people are total buzz kill." she told them laughing.

"I have to go take care of things and try to find him, you're going to be okay Darcy?" Pepper asked.

"I'll take care of her." Jane finally spoke.

"Thank you Dr. Foster." Pepper Said.

"Jane is more than enough." she told her.

"Well then Jane keep our little D. in one piece and don't hesitate to call me if she needs anything." Pepper explained.

"I'll do just that." Jane told her eyeing Darcy weirdly. Darcy who could also hear the rest of them either laughing or outright gasping, she could guess who was doing what she was still waiting for her boys to ask about that comment she made on Tony acting like her dad but she was so drunk she just told them he was her dad.

"I'll call you later." Pepper told her before hanging up.

"I am going to see if I can find him for her." Tasha told them before hanging up too.

"Betty says I am turning a little green I don't know if it's from talking to you or from the news on Tony but since we are in town I am going to have to leave you too." Bruce explained.

"Tell Hulk I miss him" she yelled loud enough that Betty could hear her and her mission was accomplish if her laughter was anything to go by.

"Are they all gone?" Steve finally asked.

"Yep." she told him after checking with Buddy.

"How about you tell us how you really feel." Clint told her.

"I wouldn't mind a hug" she told them and Jane executed herself tugging Darcy against her.

"We could take a Quinjet and be there in a few hours." Clint suggested. "Fury wouldn't mind."

"I..." Darcy hesitated, she wanted them with her, Jane was her friend and her hug felt nice but it lacked the warm feeling she always got from them. "Tony could need you." She finally said.

"We want to be with you." Steve told her and she watched as Jane eyes widened.

"You're still on speaker." Darcy told them.

"Hi! Jane." Clint said as Steve muttered "Who cares?"

"The three of you?" Jane said not really looking all that chocked.

"You going to have a problem with that?" Darcy asked nibbling at her lips hoping she had been right to trust Jane.

"I am in love with an Alien God I spend 3 days with and I only kissed him once." She said making Clint laugh, and Darcy smile, it was their own way to say they didn't care, they did worst, or wished they had. "Plus I was totally waiting for Clint to happen and if you're both into Captain America he must be a really nice guy." She explained to Darcy way more accepting then she thought she would be. "But I totally want details after Stark calls you to plead for his life."

"So Quinjet?" Clint asked impatiently.

"I want Tony to be safe, I want you to be there if he needs you, I want you both here, but it's because I miss you and I am scared and I know you'll make all of that go away." She told them. "I'll never forgive myself if Tony gets killed because I put our relationship before his safety."

"No Quinjet then." Clint summarized.

"You could come once it's over." Jane suggested and Darcy hugged her tight, she was the best.

"They can't but I love you so much for offering to over watch us when you miss Thor so much." Darcy told her.

"They can't?" Jane asked sounding sad about it.

"We have to work. We would have come with her if it wasn't for that." Steve assured Jane.

They continued to talk about everything and nothing calming her jittery nerves.

"Boys I have a call from Rhodey so shush." she told them telling Buddy to put him through.

"Darcy! Thank God you're okay." The man rushed to say.

"Iron Patriot is lame dude." She told him as a form of greeting.

"Gee Thanks what would I do without you." Rhodey told her still sounding worried.

"Tony is fine man stop worrying so much." Darcy sighed.

"Darce!" Rhodey said.

"Okay what's wrong you never ever called me Darce ever before." She told him panicking.

"Someone kidnapped Pepper." he told her and was met with everybody shouting. "Speaker phone?" he asked

"JARVIS." Steve simply answered.

"Captain Rogers." Rhodey greeted him.

"Could we get back to Pepper? You guys can flirt with weird military decorum later." Darcy told them.

"Sorry, I don't have other information at the moment, she was with Maya Hansen and SHIELD lost the both of them." Rhodey explained.

"Buddy, call Tasha." Darcy said.

"I am looking into it" they heard the Widow say before the line was cut off.

"Well she is looking into it." Darcy said. "Guys want to go give her a hand?" Darcy asked.

"That would be a pleasure if she wasn't currently in Paris." Clint told her.

"Agent Barton." They heard Rhodey say.

"Rhodey what did I say?" Darcy joked.

"Why didn't I know Tasha was in Paris?" Darcy asked.

"She always goes somewhere fancy for the holidays." Clint explained.

"Pepper." Jane reminded them.

"It's my job to know where Tasha is, doesn't mean I am not thinking about Pepper." Darcy told her. "Rhodey, please tell me you have friends looking for her."

"I do. I was hoping you might... you know." Rhodey told her and she couldn't help to laugh.

"Bonds are not sexually transmitted Rhodey, I can only feel Tony." She explained. "And I still don't have a clue of where he is."

"Worth the try. Duty calls. I'll keep you updated." he said and she could hear the roar of the suit's reactor behind him.

"I'll do it too." she said before telling Buddy to cut him off.

It didn't took too long after that for all her wits and resolve to dissolve into running tears on her cheeks, Darcy finally crumbling under the weight of her tiring day. She listened as Jane explained to her boys what was going on but none of their words were going to her brain.

"Darce? What's wrong? Is Tony okay?" She heard Steve ask and totally lost it.

"Oh by Thor, you're the most exasperating person I have ever met, you want to date me and you still don't get it." She yelled at her phone.

"Don't get what?" And to his credit Steve really sounded like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"That I don't care about the bonds. Yes they are always here and yes I can feel every single one of them 24/7. So you know what Tony is fine, he is freaking out, had small panic attacks all day, but he is also pissed off and a frightened/pissed off Tony is the best Tony for this situation he got HIMSELF into, that's how he built the suit in the first place."

"But you all need to understand one very important thing, the bonds they are easy, they are there I can just know that Tony is fine and not care about the house or anything else he did for now. The people I choose to include in my life, those are mysteries, those are the hard part of life, they require work, I need to get to know them, to trust them, to learn to read them, I worry about them." Darcy explained.

"Darce?" she heard but it was coming from Clint this time.

"Tony is fine. I want Pepper, I need to know that she is safe, that she isn't dead, or injured." She said sniffing. "I need Pepper."

Darcy made a gesture to Buddy and cut off Steve and Clint part of the call.

"They keep calling." Jane told her as Darcy had commandeer all of her covers to hide herself under them.

"Tell them I went to sleep." Darcy told her.

"Guys Darcy went to sleep." Jane told Steve and Clint finally accepting one of their calls after 2 hours of them trying.

"Jane is she okay?" Steve asked.

"I can't tell you anything about that." Jane always the good friend told them.

"Come on Jane, help us out, we can't come to London she asked us not to and we already went to SHIELD and back home 3 times wanting to do it anyway, give us something." Clint pleaded.

"Put Steve on the phone." Darcy told him.

"I am here Doll, always here." Steve said.

"You're done being all 'Bonds unsecured'?" Darcy asked and her voice sounded too small even to Jane.

"I can't promise it will never happen again but I promise to let you explain everything to me if you want to." Steve told her honestly. "You never told us all of this before, I hadn't realize how important it was to you, I am sorry."

"Clint?" Darcy inquired.

"You know I love Tasha as if she was my little sister, would do anything for her, we don't share a bond either, I know what you've been trying to show to Knucklehead here for months." He explained.

"I still need Pepper." Darcy told them.

"Jane will you do us a favor?" Steve asked.

"Depends on what it is." Jane told him always putting Darcy first.

"She needs to sleep for real, will you get in bed with her to hold her?" He asked and Jane smiled.

"I sure can do that." She said climbing into bed with Darcy and finding her way in between the covers.

"Buddy, I really need you to go to Darcy and be all warm for her." Steve told the bot who beeped at him happy to have a mission.

"You trying to lull me to sleep?" Darcy asked.

"Absolutely." Steve said.

"Okay! But you two keep talking to me while I am falling asleep." She asked.

"No problem about that." Clint told her and started to explain how they manage to almost get to the Quinjet the last time they went to SHIELD and Fury threaten to tase them and send them to London by force if they did it one more time.

"Tony, again." Jane told her holding the phone out to Darcy.

"Nope." Darcy told her chewing her cereals as if nothing had happened.

"His texting is getting frantic." Jane sighed pushing the phone away, they had cut off the ringtones at first but of course Tony put it back on remotely.

"Darce, honey-boo, talk to me." They heard Tony's voice, but it was not coming from the phone but from Buddy.

"You, don't let Tony override your codes!" Darcy said to Buddy who beeped firmly and cut off the call.

"You can't avoid Stark forever." Jane told her.

"I still have 22 days of vacation, I can totally avoid him until we go back home." Darcy told her pointing her spoon at her disbelieving friend.

"Clint and Steve almost came to London stealing SHIELD's plane, what's keeping Tony from coming here?" Jane asked her.

"Common sense." Darcy shrugged.

Jane was about to comment about that when the phone started to ring again. She took it in hand and hold it to Darcy with a big smile.

"The boys?" Darcy asked, Jane had been weirdly involved in her love life since she found out 2 days prior.

"Better, it's Pepper." Jane told her and Darcy grabbed the phone from her hand without thinking twice about it.

"This better not be you Tony." She greeted her interlocutor.

"Darcy?" Pepper asked.

"Pepp'" she cried out. "It's so good to hear your voice, please tell me you're okay"

"I'll send you a secure mail about what happened but I am not injured and Tony is fixing the rest of it." Pepper told her.

"But Pepp'..." Darcy told her sadness dripping in her voice.

"I know Honey, but I'll be okay. And it would go quicker if Tony wasn't trying to call you every five minutes. Will you talk to him for me? Please?" Pepper asked.

"He almost got killed again, and he almost got you killed and I only want to yell at him right now." Darcy explained.

"Then yell at him." Pepper told her "As long as you're talking to him he won't care."

"Fine, but Jane gets a telescope on the roof." Darcy told her, she knew it was already budgeted and all but Tony had actually said no to people going on the roof "especially people who could get flown away by the wind" he said showing her a picture of Jane.

"In an office next to Clint's sniper nest?" Pepper countered, because she was Pepper.

"And don't put too much fur on Thor's floor it's not as cool as Tony think it is." Darcy suggested.

"You got a deal." Pepper told her.

"JARVIS, get me Tony." Darcy said knowing full well that JARVIS was always listening on them, he just never gossip to Tony afterward.

"Darce?" Tony said in a tiny voice.

"Great! You two play nice." Pepper said and with it she was gone.

"You almost got killed again." Darcy told him suddenly feeling more sad than angry.

"I didn't mean too." Tony defended himself.

"You gave your freaking address on national television what were you expecting? Flowers?" Darcy asked.

"How could I have guessed they would send RPGs from a helicopter to my house? Only crazy people do that." Tony exclaimed.

"And only crazy people tell a terrorist to come and get them. Looks like you found your match." Darcy was getting mad he really didn't get it.

"You didn't see Happy." Tony told her frustrated.

"I like Happy, Happy is fun, but getting more people in danger is never the way to go. Pepper almost got killed, Rhodey almost got killed, you almost got killed which means I almost died AGAIN." Darcy told him, hurt that he didn't seem to have thought about her at all, she already knew he had nothing to do with Rhodey's kidnapping and he did try and put Pepper in the suit outside the house, but never thought about her.

"I didn't mean for any of it to happen." Tony told her.

"I know that trust me I know you meant well and you did save everyone, including the President which I already put on the PR system, but I am tired of almost dying, could you just trust the team to help you and not do things alone so we'll worry less about you?" Darcy asked him, she knew it was a cheap trick but if it could work she wasn't oppose to using her bond so he would calm down for a while and try to work with the others. "They all called me you know? They wanted to know if you were okay."

"I didn't know about that." Tony admitted.

"Well they did, all of them, Bruce almost Hulked out in the middle of that little town they are having Christmas into because he was worried about you" she informed him.

"You want a pony?" Tony asked her out of nowhere always uncomfortable with talks about feelings.

"No I'm good Pepper already took care of the bribing part." Darcy told him, not able to keep herself from giggling.

"And what did you get?" Tony asked curious.

"Stuff for Jane." Darcy told him.

"Good for Jane." Tony said.

"Tony go fix whatever is wrong with Pepper now." She told him.

"Will do, kiddo." He said before hanging up.

"That's the most surreal phone call I have ever heard." Jane told her not having missing a bit of it with Darcy's phone on speaker phone.

"You haven't been around on movie night." Darcy shrugged making a face at her now soggy cereals.

"Can we talk about Clint?" Steve asked Darcy not sure if she would agree to talk to Steve about him even though they were not hiding their talk the man was asleep in the bed next to him.

"Is he hurt?" Darcy asked, because Clint had just came back from a mission and no matter how safe they were supposed to be he seemed to always end up hurt one way or another, Steve had even asked Natasha if maybe some of the bruises he was supporting last week had been inflicted by his coworker instead of the enemy when Clint refused to tell him what happened.

"Not this time no. He was just tired when he came home so he is still asleep." Steve told her running his fingers through Clint's hair.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Darcy asked sounding worried.

"I had never talked about your bond with either of you but after her said he never forgot your voice that first time I couldn't stop thinking about it" Steve explained.

"And now you want to know?" Darcy asked.

"No I talked to him about it before that last mission, he explained what happened and how it used to work and…" Steve trailed off.

"Oh!" Darcy exclaimed. "You figure it out don't you?"

"I…" Steve started and knew he sounded as if it wasn't his business again even though he would make the effort to ask because he needed to know. "Why are you keeping it from him?"

"I didn't do it on purpose okay." Darcy told him. "It took me a long time to understand what was going on and by then I wasn't sure it was real, and then I thought maybe it wouldn't last because it's different from what it was and…" Darcy stopped to sigh. "You haven't seen him the first time we talked about the bond and how it disappeared, he was keeping it together, but I could see it, he was waiting for it to come back as if I just had to switch it on to give it back to him, it took him a long time to accept that he would just get a normal me…"

"Darce, you know he doesn't see you like that." Steve told her not realizing he had unconsciously gripped the other man tighter getting him closer.

"I know but I never want to see him look like that ever again, I can't ever be sure that it wouldn't go away again or that he wouldn't be looking at me like he lost his world if I told him it's back but different. You can't ask me to do that." Darcy told him.

"I am not I just wanted to know why." Steve assured her.

"The truth is that I don't know how to tell him that instead of being able to listen to his surroundings and make sure he is safe all the time whenever I want, I can only hear it when I am asleep and that's probably what's been keeping me awake since the first time we met, and I have zero control over it." Darcy admitted. "Tell me Steve how am I supposed to tell him I might never be able to talk to him like I used to ever again? How do I do that?"

"Like you just did." Clint told her, Steve hadn't even realize the man was awake and he felt guilty, Darcy didn't want him to know all that and he should have been out of bed the minute she started to explain why but he had missed the both of them and he would be gone come morning for a new mission with Rumlow, he hadn't been able to resist staying close to Clint.

"I am sorry." Darcy told him, once Steve had put her on speaker.

"Don't be, I rather know that than forever wonder why it never came back." Clint told her, and Steve could tell he looked genuinely happy, like knowing their bond was still theirs, still special, made it worth losing it all this time again.

"Steve?" Darcy wanted to know, she wanted to be sure she hadn't hurt Clint again. Not knowing how to describe Clint's face Steve took a picture and sent it to her.

 _He looks okay with it._

"Yep you're right he looks okay with it." Darcy said her smile hearable in her voice.

"And _he_ can hear you." Clint reminded them.

"I know Tweety, I know." Darcy told him. "Steve kiss him for me would you."

Steve executed that order with pleasure.

"And I don't need you to listen in on me for me to be safe anymore, I have the team and SHIELD to do that now." Clint told her.

"They are not doing a good enough job, you always come back hurt." Steve said without meaning to.

"You get hurt too the difference is that your injuries disappear before anyone can check them out and notify it." Clint said and Steve had to admit he was right, if he wasn't himself he would come back with bruises from mission too, Natasha did often enough not that it would ever stop them.

"So you're okay with that?" Darcy asked them.

"Are you spying on us?" Clint asked amused.

"Not really no. You're rarely together while I am asleep." Darcy told them not admitting she wasn't spying on them.

"You are, aren't you?" Steve joked.

"I can't help it, you two are so cute." Darcy told them.

"Are we?" Clint asked.

"Off course like when you were arguing about what movie to watch last week and you ended up making out instead of watching whatever was on TV when you turned it on." Darcy told them, remembering that night. "I have to go see if Jane even went to sleep last night."

"She is better?" Steve asked her, he had talked to Jane several times when she had picked Darcy's phone to avoid them going on voicemail just because Darcy was in the shower or with a mouth full of food.

"What Tony send on Tess seem to be helping her theory on the rainbow bridge, working again makes her happy, even though it's putting a damper on my vacation, but I still got to go shopping with Tony's credit card so I am okay with it." Darcy explained.

"Maybe she'll even bring back Thor." Steve said maybe a little tad too enthusiastically he had to admit it.

"Oh! You're missing your buddy, it's cute." Darcy mocked him.

"I don't miss you at all." Steve told her, laughing.

"Don't listen to him Darce, we miss you a lot." Clint yelled at her over Steve laugh before he hung up the phone.

 **From Jane:**

 **To Rogers and Barton:**

 _Fix this please, I finally have work to do. Can't do it if she is not happy_

 **From Clint:**

 **To Jane:**

 _Gee, Thanks Jane! You broke Captain America!_

* * *

 _Note sorry there was supposed to be 3 pictures (one for each) somewhere in there but I don't know how to put images in the doc manager ...  
_


	24. Once upon a time: the self-rescuing prin

**Once upon a time: the self-rescuing princesses' story.**

Tasha knew that Darcy was going to be hard to distract, maybe Tony delaying his plan would have been easier she should have insisted on getting back to NY before making a decision instead of stupidly volunteering to stop by London on her way back from Bucharest. To be honest she missed Darcy, having to spend a day with her was hardly a hardship but she would have preferred for it to be a fun visit not a cajoling one.

"Tasha!" Darcy cried out when she opened the door to the place she shared with Jane.

"Hi! Darce." Tasha said getting in as invited stopping only to kiss the woman's cheek and high fiving Buddy on her way in.

"I didn't know you were going to stop by." Darcy said brushing her T-shirt, subconsciously as if she could actually unwrinkled it with the willingness of her mind.

"Ian said it would be okay." Tasha told her, which was only half true, she hadn't ask him for his opinion on the matter, just told him Darcy wouldn't be available for the next 2 days.

"You went to see Ian first? Avengers and associates don't need to see Ian to get time with me." Darcy told her suspect fully.

"Just wanted to tell him you'll be unavailable." Tasha brushed off her question.

"Oh great. Come on in then." Darcy said gesturing to the couch at the center of the living room.

"Darcy! I can't find the Nine Realms folder the one with Thor's drawing of Yggdrasil." Another woman yelled. Tasha hadn't met Jane Foster yet but she knew the woman was as important to Darcy as the Avengers were so she'd play nice.

"Jane we have a visitor!" Darcy yelled back.

"Is it one of the B...?" Jane stopped when she got a first look of Natasha. "Hi! Agent Romanoff I presume." She said looking for all the world as if she was trying to assess if she agreed to Darcy's friendship with Tasha and not as Tasha was used to, to her level of threat.

"Natasha, please." Tasha offered and Jane nodded.

"Jane play nice." Darcy said and Jane nodded again.

"Jane." Jane presented herself, well that was already a small victory Tasha knew Phil and Clint had to call her Dr Foster for days before she relented and let them call her Jane. Tasha offered a smile to say her thanks.

"So how come you stopped by?" Darcy asked and Tasha knew that even though she would have preferred to enjoy more pleasantries they were on a schedule.

"Can we talk?" Tasha asked gesturing to the couch.

"Yeah sure." Darcy told her looking at Jane wondering if she should ask her to leave or not.

"She could stay, in fact she should." Tasha told them, looking as Darcy's face turned concerned and worried.

"Who's hurt?" Darcy asked. Tasha was bad at this, Clint would have been better at not making her panic.

"No one is hurt." She told her before explaining. "So Tony found the right formula and cured Pepper." Tasha started but Darcy nodded of course she already knew that, Pepper and Tony sure had called her first. "Well he says now that Extremis is stable he can use it to get a surgery to get the shrapnel out so he wouldn't need to arc reactor anymore." Tasha told her watching as unconsciously Darcy's hand was creeping its way to her heart as if it would protect the arc reactor, tears starting to gather in her eyes.

"Is he going to die?" Darcy asked, fumbling for her phone so Tasha took it first.

"No he is not, Betty says that Extremis should be able to prevent that from happening and she and Tony got the best team possible to do the job." Before Darcy could interrupt her she continued. "Betty will stay in the room the all-time to deal with anything bond related that could happen."

"Okay." Darcy said but it sounded so much like a question that Tasha started to question this all plan.

"Look Tony is a little... He doesn't trust people and he wants to make sure he can deal with any needed adjustment himself so..." Tasha didn't finish.

"He's going to do it without going under, is he?" Darcy asked, she knew Tony well.

"He is." Tasha confirmed.

"Is it going to hurt?" Darcy asked shaking herself out of her concern for him and gearing herself up for a day of pain.

"No Betty said none of you would feel anything." Tasha quickly told her.

"So why are you here then?" Darcy asked.

"Keep you company, none of us wanted you to do it alone so I volunteered." Tasha told her looking at Jane and mouthing 'Sorry'.

"When?" Darcy asked;

"They will be ready whenever you are." Tasha told her, Tony had waited to be sure it would work to tell everyone.

"I need time." Darcy told her firmly and Tasha sent a text to Pepper to tell her they needed to wait.

"Since when do you have 2 phones?" Tasha asked hearing a ringtone that wasn't coming from the phone she took from her. "Your ass keeps ringing, Darce you should answer it." Tasha told her the sound of Darcy's vibrating ringtone getting on her nerves since she got in, and it would distract her.

"Oh that's mine." Jane said suddenly fumbling behind Darcy on the couch to find the ringing phone.

"But it comes from Darcy's jeans." Tasha pointed out.

"She confiscated it." Jane said finally digging the phone brandishing it yelling. "Ha-ha!" Victoriously.

"Jane speaking." She answered walking out of the room. "No mom I am busy today. Darcy's friend passed by so we're going to have a girls' night." Was all Tasha could hear before Jane closed her door, but when she looked back at Darcy she was red as a tomato.

"I am going to go see if Jane could ask her mom to not come around for the next few days." Darcy told her jumping out of the couch toward the room.

"I smell something fishy." Tasha said looking at Buddy, who flew away to follow Darcy, "Definitely fishy."

Darcy and Jane came back 10 minutes later, Tasha had the time to look around, but apart from Jane's research on the Rainbow Bridge she found nothing interesting.

"Sorry about that." Darcy told her putting 'Jane's phone' back on her back pocket jeans.

"It's okay. I took a soda in the fridge hope you don't mind." She told Jane. Maybe she should get to know Jane better, get her to slip on whatever was going on around here, but at the same time she knew Darcy would probably be mad at her for it.

"So how about we do that now before I chicken out." Darcy told her getting her attention back to Darcy, God that girl was too good at reading the spies around her.

"You're sure?" Tasha asked getting her phone out once again, Darcy sending concerned look toward Jane.

"Yes." Darcy answered absentmindedly.

"Darce!" Tasha sighed needing for Darcy to be sure, she'll find out what the two women were hiding later.

"Sorry." Darcy told her turning her attention back to her. "Yes I am sure call them."

Tasha did acknowledge her answer calling Pepper.

"Pepper, she is ready." She told Pepper putting her phone on speaker.

"Honey?" Pepper answered ignoring her.

"Yes it's okay, let him do it. Tasha and Jane will make sure I'm safe." Darcy dismissed her.

"You want to talk to him?" Pepper asked, but Darcy seemed panic at the idea of talking to Tony right now.

"Who will be with you?" Darcy asked instead of answering.

"I'll stay with Bruce, Betty think that taking care of me will prevent a Hulk incident." Pepper explained.

"Good thinking." Darcy assured her.

"Clint and Steve will prevent any incident from happening outside the operating room, and Betty inside." Pepper continued. "Natasha and Jane will take care and protect you."

"You covered all the basis." Darcy said chuckling.

"They need one hour to set up everything. I need to go make sure he is still fine." Pepper told her.

"Tell everybody 'Hi' for me" Darcy told Pepper.

""Will do." Pepper answered before hanging up.

The girls took advantages of the hour Pepper gave them, Darcy prepped a quick meal for them and they talked about the Avengers, Tasha answering questions about Thor for Jane, before leading Darcy to her bedroom thinking being in bed could be easier to deal with if they finally had to put Tony under not knowing what effect it would have on Darcy.

"Do you think Extremis will have some effects on me?" Darcy asked her, looking worried while sliding under the cover.

"That's part of what I am here for." Tasha said contrite. "We have no way of knowing."

"Okay" Darcy told her looking a little lost.

"Everything will be okay." Jane told her tugging her in before leaving the room. Darcy had asked her to keep working she didn't want Jane to worry about what could happen she had never really saw the effect of the bonds on Darcy and maybe it was better that way especially if Darcy still wanted her to come live at the Tower.

"Here." Tasha said handing her an earpiece that would connect Darcy to the Tower while putting her own in. "JARVIS, please keep us on mute unless told otherwise."

 _Of course Agent Romanoff._

"That way we can talk just the two of us but you can listen in on Tony all you want." Tasha explained to Darcy getting the band out of her hair so she would be able to play with it.

"Are you going to distract me?" Darcy asked her trying to make her voice sound playful but failing miserably her eyes pleading for Tasha to make her forget why she was there.

"Sure why not." Tasha told her thinking for the hundredth times that Clint would have been so much better at this, especially when she just came back from a mission, Clint or Hulk but Hulk wouldn't be subtle enough.

Tasha took a little time to listen in on Clint and Steve confirming the safety of the tower and telling Betty she could proceed.

"What do you want to talk about?" Tasha asked her protégée thinking that maybe Darcy would talk about whatever Jane and she were trying to hide.

"Would you talk to me about you if I ask?" Darcy inquired, Tasha knew she was the one Darcy knew the less about but it wasn't in her nature to talk about herself.

"I could…" Tasha started but still didn't feel right telling her all of what happened to her. "Scoot down." She told Darcy cuddling with her at least that wasn't something new. "I'll tell you about me if you tell me something about you." Tasha offered and it made her feel better when Darcy nodded, the Black Widow used Intel on herself to get something from her mark often enough that she could do this.

"I am in love with Clint." Darcy told her and it surprised Tasha a little, she knew both of the idiots loved each other and she knew Clint was in love with Darcy but she hadn't known the young woman felt the same about him. She immediately decided to help them get together.

"Sounds like a fair price for a story." Tasha told her. "Once upon a time, in Russia, a little princess named Natasha was born." Tasha told her playing with her hair.

"Tasha!" Darcy protested.

"You want your story or not?" Tasha asked and Darcy moved a little to be more comfortable.

"Okay I am ready." Darcy told her smiling.

"So as I was saying a little princess named Natasha was born. Her parents were really poor and little Natasha soon caught the attention of a recruiter for a special school, the recruiter told her parents that Natasha was a special little girl, that at school she'll have 3 meals/ day, a bed with covers to sleep in, that she'll never be cold again. Natasha's parents took very little time to think about it. One more winter with them and Natasha would die of exposure, they agreed to let the recruiter took their little girl." Tasha explained, Darcy didn't really need to know all the details of the story like the fact that she still didn't know if her parents were part of the ones who sold their daughters to the Red Room or the ones whose daughter got kidnapped.

"Tasha I don't like that story very much." Darcy told her tears already in her eyes.

"Shush, I rather tell you myself then you finding out on my file." Tasha told her.

"You know I don't read those." Darcy joked or maybe not, Darcy's bond allowed her to know things that were not even on those files so they could never know what she read or what she lived.

"Little Natasha went to school with the recruiter, there were ballet classes, and Natasha liked that very much, she was good at it and the professor loved her very much, she got privileged because of how good at it she was." Tasha continued.

"I already know that part of the story." Darcy reminded her, wincing.

"Yeah okay let's move on to a few years later." Tasha agreed. "Little Natasha wasn't so little anymore, and she had learned a lot of new skills, gymnastic, linguistic, fighting technics, gun handling, knifes throwing, flirting and Intel retrieving, bond faking."

"You know making it sound cute doesn't make it cute." Darcy told her making a face.

"I know." Tasha said.

"I know somewhere in that story there is Clint but is there a Prince Charming in there too?" Darcy asked.

"There was." Tasha admitted.

"Oh see that's something I want to know about." Darcy said before putting her hand over her mouth. "I am sorry Tasha, that's absolutely not what I meant, your story is very interesting, it's just…" Darcy stopped looking for her words. "Depressing. I don't like to think you went through all that."

"You want to hear about tall, dark and handsome, then?" Tasha offered smiling, guessing Darcy didn't like to be reminded of that time either, training had left a lot of bruisings and injuries on Tasha's body back then.

"Hell yes." Darcy told her coughing up but instead of just getting back cuddling into Tasha's body, Darcy started to grow restless and soon she was coughing loudly.

"Darce, what's wrong?" Tasha asked rubbing soothing circles on the girl's back, only stopping when she spotted blood on the hand Darcy was covering her coughing with. "Darce!" Tasha said pushing the button of her com' to turn it back on. "JARVIS, patch me through Betty, only Betty." Tasha said.

"Everyone's okay in there?" Tasha heard coming from the door as Jane was about to get in but one look at Darcy pleading eyes got her to block the door from opening to widely.

"Sure, sorry I made her laugh and she choked on a breath, not the smartest move I've done." Tasha told Jane, moving just enough for Jane to see Darcy's back heaving, in what could either be a sob or a laugh.

"Yeah I am fine, sorry Jane." Darcy told her without turning around.

"Good, no jokes from now on." Jane told Tasha sternly.

"Sure thing Boss." Darcy answered her with a fake smile.

Jane got out of the room and Tasha waited only a handful of seconds to lock it and run to Darcy's side, giving her tissues to spit the blood in.

"Betty, Darcy's coughing up blood." Tasha told the doctor in charge.

"Tony is fine." Betty answered.

"No he's not" Darcy told Betty, without having asked JARVIS for a private line but when Tasha was about to ask about it, looking certainly a little concerned, Darcy only gestured toward Buddy by the end of the bed. Tasha had been mostly out of the tower this past few months so she hadn't realize Darcy and Buddy were now as close as JARVIS and Tony tended to be, so close in fact that the little bot would know what she would want without her asking.

"Fuck!" They heard Betty say before she started to hiss a lot of medical terms toward the surgical team no doubts.

"Tony?" Darcy said and looking at her getting less panicked, Tasha could tell that Stark was talking to Darcy but apparently neither Buddy nor JARVIS deemed important for her to be kept in the loop.

"No it's okay, you just need to take deep breaths and listen to me for a while okay?" Darcy asked obviously still talking to Tony, Tasha should have been able to hear him through Betty if the woman wasn't talking to the rest of the room.

"Buddy is making really good progress, Jane taught him a lot of new tricks, and he anticipate almost all I want from him." Darcy explained, sure take the Genius by the mechanical sentiments. "No he is not going to become sentient and rule the world." Darcy said shaking her head firmly at Buddy as if to not give him ideas. "But I might, I was thinking, JARVIS likes me better, and I could figure out how to use my awesomeness to persuade, Pepper, Jane, Betty, Tasha, Hill and lady Sif, into a Female Avengers counterpart, and we would totally rule the world instead of just saving it. Because we're awesome." Darcy laughed coughing a little more. "I don't care that it totally defeat the purpose of saving the world, there will be peace all over and men would totally worship women for the Goddess of life and smartness they are."

Well Tasha tended to agree with that, and Hill wouldn't be that hard to convince. ' _No focus'_ Tasha told herself.

"It's okay we're done, a small cut into his lunge did that, Extremis took care of it." Betty said and Darcy put 2 thumbs up to agree.

"Tony you need to tell them if something is wrong, even if you're just cold." Darcy told him. "No I don't want a freaking pony" she yelled then. "Why do you keep talking about that damn pony? Did you already buy it?" Darcy asked grunting when he answered which surely meant yes. "I am too busy, keeping Avengers alive on a day to day basis to take care of a pony, I already have an Iron Man Baby, which telling it like that is highly disturbing." Darcy said making a face.

"Tony's talking is distracting the team Darcy." Betty told them.

"Do whatever they ask" Darcy told Tony firmly again and Tasha heard the beeping noise in her hear telling her the earpieces were off again. "Thanks Buddy." Darcy said and Tasha had to use her training not to look surprised at how easily the bot took over JARVIS.

"Tall, Dark and handsome." Darcy told her, getting back under the covers as if nothing had happened. Tasha knew that her interactions with Tony on the bond level were the most intense because of their painfull nature, but she needed to talk to the others about the fact that Darcy seemed to totally think it wasn't okay for her to show them what she felt when something happened.

"Jimmy." Tasha told her getting back to cuddling, her mission today was to distract not to gather Intel. "He was almost as tall as Cap, with black hair that were not too short, but not too long either, just the right length to cover his blue eyes when we were training, he was older too maybe mid-twenties, i asked ones but he never told me, and he was dangerous, and living with Red Room that's saying something." Okay so maybe Jimmy had been a little more than a trainer, blame her, she was 16 and he was tall, dark and broody, and Red Room was giving them extensive classes on sexual behavior all day long.

"Sounds like my type." Darcy told her jostling her out of her thought.

"Yeah? I thought your type was blond, grey eyes and incredibly clumsy when out of the field?" Tasha retoured.

"A girl can dream." Darcy sighed.

"You know he likes you right?" Tasha said and saw the tiniest bit of amusement flicker into Darcy's eyes before she closed them sighing again.

"I never even met Jimmy, Tasha don't be ridiculous." Darcy told her giggling.

"You know meant Clint." Tasha pushed.

"I know, but I also know he is seeing someone, and I don't want you to push anything, if it must happen it will." Darcy said but she clearly had her mind somewhere else giggling as if Tasha was tickling her.

"Darce? Are you..?" Tasha stopped remembering all that just happened. "Did Buddy patch you up with Clint?"

"Nope." Darcy said sobering up, more at being caught than because she was telling the truth.

"JARVIS get me Clint." Tasha muttered.

"Tasha I'm working, remember? Making sure no one kills Stark and all that?" Clint told her sounding serious, but he was a trained spy it didn't mean anything.

"Are you having a talk with Darcy on a private chat line?" Tasha asked because she was telling Darcy personal stuff she had never told Clint and he didn't need to know, then again Buddy could patch them up and off when Darcy was speaking only apparently.

"No I'm not." Clint sounded offended.

"Okay talk to you later." Tasha told him confused. "Who's making you laugh?" She finally asked Darcy.

"JARVIS is telling me stuff about the tower, like did you know Pepper keeps trying to get Bruce to Hulk out for fun just to see if she could take him on now?" Darcy explained to her Buddy patching JARVIS over to her too to give her proof. "Sorry, I think he just wanted to distract me from Tony. _J,_ it's okay Tasha is funny enough thanks man." Darcy said and they both got cut off again.

"There is something going on here and I will find out what it is." Tasha told her getting frustrated.

"Well the fish and chips from the bar downstairs made me gain some weight. Jane is totally frustrated by the lack of observatory here or equipment or anything related to Thor that are not in Tess's files. There is the mystery of the disappearing husband but I am pretty sure her mom didn't kill him she is way too nice for that. I already told you about my undying love for Clint, but as you know I am not one to just jump into it because of the bonds and he found someone in DC told me you saw his Hickey which I did not gave him haven't seen him since I left." Darcy summerized. "Oh yeah there is that SHIELD thing where they tried to keep Jane in Tromso so they'd have leverage on Thor but she totally busted her ass out of there on her own, she might need a new passport though because she lost hers, or forgot to take it when she left that's still up for debate."

Tasha was sure there was something in the middle of all this to tell her what was going on, but Darcy had spent too much time dodging the social services she knew how to hide the truth in plain sight.

"Darce!" Tasha sighed frustrated, Darcy should totally be used for questioning exercices on recruits.

"What? You asked what was going on." Darcy told her shrugging.

"Did Clint tell you who she was?" Tasha finally relented, gossip could get Darcy distracted without having to talk about the Red Room it was a win-win in her world.

"Nope, didn't tell me a single thing about her. Although to be honest I didn't ask." Darcy told her.

"Afraid to be hurt?" Tasha asked wanting to see if Darcy was serious about being in love with Clint, Darcy might be their bond forever but Clint would always come first for her, she gave up her life to follow him because she trusted him, long before they ever talk about her.

"Too turned on." Darcy countered.

"Too... What?" Tasha looked at her incredulous.

"What? It's been a dry year, he is super sexy and I have seen pictures of Bobby I know what kind of people he is attracted to, if I ask to much questions I am going to start picturing them." Darcy explained as if she was talking about doing laundry and Tasha realized that the others had been right she was the one who knew her the least.

"Tasha?" Darcy asked her when she stayed silent for too long trying to find out why she had been so adamant on not getting to know Darcy too well, on not getting attached.

"Humm, sorry, you want to keep gossiping?" Tasha asked her, not knowing how to distract her anymore, it had been hours and apart from getting back to Jimmy planning on helping her get out of Moscow and into a safe house in St Petersburg so she could flee the Red Room, but disappearing before it happened forcing her to make a choice and escaping on her own too late to not have passed the final exam though, she didn't know what to tell her.

"You're spending a lot of time with Steve at SHIELD?" Darcy asked.

"Well you know I go with him and the Strike Team on missions so we also train and strategize together yes." She explained not knowing where this was going.

"Do you think he'll ever be happy in this new world?" Darcy inquired, because of course she would ask about the only Avengers she had to worry about instead of just knowing.

"He might need time to adapt and mourn but I am sure he will be in time." Tasha told her, because she had seen Steve smile stupidly looking at nothing but white walls, or joking around with the team, with her, sure he seemed to refuse to socialize with the Strike Team told her he knew he needed them to learn and to carry on missions while eyes were on him in the field but it didn't mean he had to trust them with himself or with her, which had surprised her, and made her think maybe he was still to caught up in his past to trust a new team until she saw him interact with Clint, or Bruce and Tony, or talk about Thor he had made new friends and trusted his team, Strike was not his team.

"You think a girlfriend would help?" Darcy asked nibbling at her lips.

"I can try to set him up, we'll see if it helps." Tasha offered and Darcy had that touch of amusement back in her eyes. "Did you set up a bet on him or something?" She asked, that would explain it, but if a bet there was she wanted in.

"Something like that. But it's more of a prank, pay back for something he did to me before I left." Darcy explained without volunteering more details that was okay Tasha could hack into JARVIS and find out, if Steve did something to Darcy, even though it seemed to have been a fun prank thing, she'll help the girl get her revenge.

They kept talking long into the night, Darcy trying to sleep once or twice but not able to get Tony out of her head, she talked him down a few panic moments but overall the surgery went well, and Tony was given a sedative to sleep after Pepper had insisted that Darcy needed to sleep too and that none of the Avengers would leave their respective posts.

In the morning though Tasha left, telling Jane that everything would be okay, she didn't need a new passport to get to the tower, flying Stark had its perks but she'll try to get hers back by then anyhow. Darcy would wake up to Jane and that was certainly for the best as she decided to head back to NY and get to the bottom of the story, she would get nothing from Darcy's end of it.


	25. Tess little bother is a serial killer

**Tess little bother is a serial killer.**

"Jane seriously we could cut my vacation short and get to the tower you'll have all the toys your little heart desire there." Darcy told the tiny scientist when the latter went back to sulking on her mother's couch after they got told that 'no they couldn't use the planetarium to test a theory' Jane needed actual things to confirm and test what she had found from Tess records but no one in England was ready to lose founds by giving her a hand.

"Stark doesn't even work with Astrophysicists he just wants Thor." Jane told her pouting.

"No actually he wants me and I won't stay there without you around." Darcy countered knowing full well that lying and saying that Tony actually needed Jane wouldn't help.

"You need to go back for your boys." Jane told her shocked that Darcy was even thinking of not doing it.

"I spent half my life away from Clint and we still work, I can totally make Steve fall in love with me from this couch. Plus they are super-secret-spies-soldiers they travel like 4 days a week sometimes more, and villains are so dumb that they keep attacking NY even though not one but two groups of superheroes live in the city, it's super dangerous." Darcy shrugged when Jane gave her a dubious look.

"That's supposed to be a selling point into moving there?" Jane asked.

"No, but half naked sweaty super heroes are, they train and spar a lot, and I'll let you ogle mines all you want. Plus think about the toys Jane, Tony build me Buddy, bought me a pony, built you a lab, I want to know what else I can get you." Darcy admitted.

She loved Tony, but she knew that he would never stop buying her things to say sorry or to make her smile or bribe her out of calling Pepper because he didn't ate his vegetables at lunch, she would never ask for anything big and most of the times she would ask him not to do something, like buying her the Starbuck next door when he broke the coffee machine, in order for her not to call Pepper, Fury, Rhodey or Steve, they were all efficient threads as was shutting off the labs or telling him he would be grounded for a week with no science-ing with Bruce, so really getting stuff for Jane was the only selfish thing she ever did.

"No!" Jane cried out. "I don't want him to own any of my researches."

"Where is that coming from?" Darcy yelled at her, she had tried everything in the past 4 weeks but she had never thought Jane didn't trust her to protect her or her work. She didn't even want to listen to Jane's explanation she grabbed her coat and went out shutting the door violently behind her.

"As if I was going to let anyone control her work or steal it from her." Darcy mumbled before yelling into the night "If I feel one of you following me I will use my taser on you." to the SHIELD agents she was not even sure were still there anymore, Tasha had told her that they were only SHIELD's country residents who happened to live in the same block as Jane's mother, but that sounded like a load of BS especially since Tasha didn't condone SHIELD surveillance of the Tower's residents.

Yes Darcy knew Sharon was Steve's nurse neighbor, and no she didn't tell him, neither did Clint, because even though Darcy still felt betrayed by the Agent 13 thing, she also knew that Sharon was good and she was doing it more for Peggy than for SHIELD, she would never betray the boys because she was still her friend, and she would be in trouble if Steve knew what she was doing. Plus the building was Clint's and it was like 98% SHIELD agents, if Steve didn't notice that, Darcy felt better knowing at least one of those residents was looking out for him, not that Clint wasn't doing a good job at protecting Cap's back but he was easily distractible especially by said back once at home.

Darcy wandered around the block calming her nerves but when she got back in front of Jane's place and saw the lights were still on she decided to take the car and go explore the city by night. She had that creepy feeling that everything was going to fail, had been feeling it for days now and really Jane little outburst had just pushed her over. As she drove around, she decided to stop near Greenwich trying to do math to know what time it could be where both of the boys were while trying to remember if Great Britain had one or two time zone depending on which side of Greenwich line you were standing in.

It didn't make her feel better didn't even make her feel sleepy, she hadn't been sleeping for 2 days, not that she didn't try, she even took one of those tea Bruce had given her when she left NY 'just in case', those had been helping her sleep back when she came back to the tower but not so much now. And honestly how could she sleep when she felt so empty. It had been different than when Phil died or Loki took Clint from her, it was slowly darkening everything, at first she had thought maybe someone had stolen Tess from Odin's vault and it was taking the bonds away like she always thought Tess would do, but if the bonds were disappearing it should at least be all over the internet and she found nothing on it, people were still meeting their match, life was normal for everyone but for her.

Something was going on, or would happen soon, something dark, something cold, and something that was dead set on taking away everything she had work so hard for, not tearing it from her painfully but lulling her into abandoning it to the darkness, as if she wasn't trying as hard as she could to keep it safe. She knew why she couldn't sleep, she couldn't wake up to a world where all of her bonds had disappeared, where all of what her life had been before would have been for nothing, a world where the people she grew to love despite the bonds wouldn't want her anymore.

Instead of getting back home she went to see Ian, he wouldn't ask things he knew nothing about, and he had been living in her 2 bedrooms suite alone for a month, he could certainly share for 1 night. She texted Jane that she was still alive but needed time and opened her laptop, if she couldn't sleep she could work and the Avengers schedule for the next 6 months had never been tidier. Now she had Senators to cajole into liking her team and she could totally do that instead of watching re-runs of Downton Abbey.

When Ian emerged from is room the next morning, she had piles and piles of Intel, on weird phenomenon happening around the globe. She might have been a little obsessed especially since she didn't know what she was obsessing about but who cared.

"Everything okay in here?" Ian asked, poor Ian, she had dragged him here with her, and she had only met with him once or twice in a month for emergency related work, he only had access to the political part of her work and politicians had been enjoying the holydays like everyone else. Well except when Tony saved the people from Air Force One and the President and the Vice-President had been arrested but technically Tony outside of the Avengers wasn't her jurisdiction so she only landed a hand to Pepper, making Phone calls to shut lobbyists' anti- Avengers up.

"I might need you to drive me back to Dr Foster's place, I drunk way too much coffee." She told him tossing him her key with an apological look toward the empty coffee machine.

After a shower and a big breakfast courtesy of her work black AmEx, when she got back to the apartment, Jane wasn't there, what was there, however, was Buddy and some of Jane's rescued equipment beeping furiously. Darcy looked around for a post-it, a letter, a map with a red X on it, anything that would indicate where Jane went and if she followed this new Intel or not.

"Buddy, I am sorry, but this is an emergency, I need JARVIS to tell me what you're trying to say." She told him when he wouldn't stop flying around her, but he just lowered himself and showed her a 'no phone' signal. "What do you mean no phone?" She asked Buddy but he just beeped sadly making her listen to the 'no-connection' signal he was receiving when he tried to contact JARVIS once again.

"It's okay Buddy, we'll try the phone." She said padding him on the head. She tried calling the tower first, then JARVIS super-secret personal line, then Tony, before panicking and trying to call Fury when no one answered but it was like she couldn't join anyone, she tried Jane but got her voicemail, at least she got something, she kept telling herself turning on an app she thought she wouldn't have to use again after Jane went to SHIELD with Thor. She followed the 'Find where your kid is' app signal to a restaurant where she dutifully crashed Jane's date, the man was cute but they had better things to do, and she would not let Jane give up her work for a man, especially one that was not a God.

After a quick introduction, between Ian and Jane, she led her to the place the equipment was showing her, realizing only when seeing it that it was where she had parked her car to do math the previous night. They followed whatever signal they got, then found kids who led them to the weirdest thing ever. It was a wormhole an actual, real wormhole, and sometimes when the kids were sending things into it, it would give it back, and sometimes it would not. Darcy, for her part, was pretty sure she had given it all she could, holding up against the railing she was watching all of them play, plastering a smile on her face and laughing with them, but deep down, she felt like whatever this thing was it had took what had created the bonds out of her, they were not there anymore, she felt alone and scared, and...

"Where is Jane?" She asked Ian, looking for someone who could help her, who could try to make sense to what was happening. She watched as he send something into the void, something it wouldn't give back. "Were those the keys to the car?" She asked ready to push him into the wormhole to go after them.

But she didn't she told him to stay there, to stop sending things on the other side and she went to look for Jane. The further she went for the stairs the more normal she felt, she couldn't say who or what they felt but the Bonds or at least one of them was there buzzing under her skin. It took hours, several aborted trial to call for help before Ian called the cops so they would help her find Jane, she could have slip or fall down a hole, they were in an abandoned building after all and apparently trespassing if the tickets the cops were piling up instead of helping were any indication.

Jane finally reappeared absolutely not aware that she had been missing for hours, but there was something else, something wrong, being near Jane, Darcy felt the coldness and the emptiness of the void again, and that was just not possible. Jane wasn't like that, she was warm and a little crazy, but not serial killer cold.

Then of course when Thor came in and took her away saying something was wrong with Jane, it cleared everything out. No, it didn't, whatever was in Jane had almost killed a cop, definitely killed the car windows, after they had been questioned for hours by the cops, there was an arrest warrant on both Jane and Thor, ' _Well good luck with that one',_ Darcy still didn't know what was going on or why touching Jane had hurt to policeman but not her, and she couldn't get anyone to answer their damn phone. She had even tried, Phil's special number that she had memorized and burned like he had told her to do, but nothing worked, nothing but London numbers.

Ian found Erik, well at least he hadn't been distracted enough by her little melt-down to miss the news and that had to count for a raise, or a bonus or something. But he lost his bonus when he started to tell her forging documents to get Erik out of jail was against the law.

"Erik do you know what's going on?" She asked once she had dragged the man into Jane's place and had watched him take his pants off.

"It's the convergence." Erik told her as if it was supposed to make sense. "The alignment of the worlds." He added.

"Ian get lost." she told her assistant, they might need his help at some point but he didn't need to know what she was about to tell Erik.

"Erik, I..." She said but trailed off she didn't really know what happened. "Jane, she touched something and she's sick, or at least that's what Thor said when he took off with her. You know hold tales from Asgardian time on Earth better than me, the thing that's in Jane, it's been taking my bonds away for days." She told him getting him to focus again. "You can't tell anyone about me" she said gesturing to the door, "I told you in case it might help but if you want more information it has to be just the 2 of us." Erik nodded and Darcy called up Ian so he would get back.

"The Convergence is a cosmic event that occurs approximately every five thousand years" Erik explained. "During the Convergence, the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil are in alignment. This alignment causes the dimensional boundaries between each realm to become thin, resulting in various physical anomalies occurring at random. These phenomena include shifts in gravity, spatial extrusions, and the fabric of reality possibly tearing apart. Perhaps most notably, invisible wormholes that allow matter to move between realms are seemingly born and evaporate at random. As the Convergence reaches its apex, several larger, visible wormholes open in the sky above central locations in each realm, with each portal acting as a window through which parts of other realms can be seen." Erik explained.

"Sounds like something that wouldn't let me call for help." Darcy told him.

"Depends on who you wanted to call." Erik told her and Darcy winced.

"The Avengers." She told him.

"Do it." They heard behind them, Jane was back, looking better, less sick and she didn't felt like she was stealing happiness from her anymore so all was good.

"I can't, no international calls." Darcy explained and looked as Jane turned to Buddy. "No one can call outside of the city." She told her.

Jane and Thor started to explain everything.

"Malekith made a weapon out of the darkness of the singularity that created the realms and it was called the Aether. While the other relics often appear as stones the Aether is fluid and ever-changing. It changes matter into dark matter. It seeks out host bodies, drawing strength from their life-force." Thor explained to them.

"A stone? Like Tess? So you mean it was meant for me, right? It wasn't looking for Jane, it was looking for me." Darcy started to cry out.

"Father said there are more stones that need to be protected than only the Tesseract, I am deeply sorry for this fate, Lady Darcy." Thor told her.

"Whatever." Darcy sighed, they'll have time to freak out about that later, they had an Elf king to defeat, and if that wasn't the weirdest thing she ever said.

Thor and Jane proceed to explain the death of Asgardians protecting the Aether and Jane, including Frieda and Loki, to their plan now and how they needed Erik thingy to win against the Dark Elves.

"Wow they do not look like Orlando Bloom" she said when the first Elf appeared.

After that it was all a confusion of distracting the Elves, defying gravity, protecting innocent bystander, dodge Mew-Mew whenever Thor was calling for her until the Convergence stopped and all was left was more paperwork for her to file.

No but really she could see the amount of paperwork stacked on each turn over car, in each blade of grass, the naughty Elves had destroyed, seriously Asgard should be able to spare some scribes or whatever administrative dudes they were using to help her, it was their mess after all, and she was going to have to clean it up again.


	26. Keeping a secret

**Keeping a secret.**

"Darcy" She heard behind her, and hey, maybe Odin liked her after all and heard her prayer.

"Phil." She cried out when she saw the man standing in the middle of who must have been is new team, looking around at the amount of rubble they had created this time. But she had something to set straight first and to begin with she didn't like the way his teammates were looking at her scientists.

"Those are not the scientists you are looking for." She said even doing too little Jedi gesturing and all but it was a tough crowd. "Seriously Nothing?" she said when it hadn't even make Phil laugh. "You're not touching them, Thor and Jane are already mine and Erik is of limit." She told him standing her ground.

"Only here to help" Phil said.

"Couldn't have been there like 2 hours ago? Not the first time SHIELD only gets there once we're done with the hard part." She pointed out, remembering how unhelpful they had been in Puente Antiguo.

But Phil only pointed out the cops starting to make their way around Ian toward Jane and Thor.

"Argh." She hissed. "Fine. Go." She said and the agent she remembered as Agent May, she had met her briefly when she organized the press conference, took off to derail the cops.

"Agent Ward." She said because she could be polite with people, but he only stared at her before asking Phil to be excused tailing off to join Agent May.

"What did you do to him?" Phil asked.

"Oh you know a guy meets a girl in the middle of an alien invasion, the girl dies once or twice under his watch and the guy gets all panic-y and call for a medical emergency. Then he might or might not have been called into a meeting with Nick, Tasha and Clint, who might or might not have told him that I did not exist he never saw me and if he was ever caught talking about me with anyone ever again several threats could apply, ranking from him being sent on a permanent mission to Siberia to him being dismembered his parts scattered around the world starting with his sensible parts being fed to sharks while he was still alive and attached to them. Nothing special." Darcy said brushing off dirt from herself even though it was useless.

"Nothing from Clint?" Phil asked amused.

"Just an arrow or two, you know how he is, he doesn't like to tell people how they are going to die." Darcy explained amused by the looks of horror from the people around him.

"I am still going to need to debrief all of you." Phil told her.

"But they are mine so no recruitment speech, no detention, no taking their toys away, or I unleash JARVIS on you." Darcy threatened.

"Fine. Skye is going to help Jane and Dr Selvig retrieve his equipment." He said and a young brunette went to stand next to Jane, who looked at Darcy quizzically so she nodded telling her it was okay.

"Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, they are my scientists, so no recruiting either. They are our medical team too they'll check everyone." Phil told her.

"Not me." She reminded him but he turned toward the two scientists.

"Charge her tests as secondary tests for Dr Foster, and her results go on her private servers." Phil explained to them. "Can they check you up now?"

"I guess so." Darcy agreed. "Let Jane and Erik play until it gets dark outside than ask Thor to help render them, Ian is a civilian, so don't let him get too close to Thor, or Jane, or Erik, or.. Just keep an eye on him and NDA the hell out of him." Darcy told Phil before following his scientists.

"So can we at least get a name?" Jemma asked once they were back in the car driving away to something called 'the Bus'.

"It's on the need to know basis." Darcy told them, not that she didn't trust them they seemed really nice and if they were Phil's new team she was sure she'll meet them again, but they were about to draw blood from her and test her and that kind of thing tended to make her secretive.

"We heard the threats, we know the risks." Leo told her, even though he seemed unsure of himself, certainly like every scientists more curious about the mystery she presented than frightened by the danger behind it.

"It's Darcy." She admitted, she had a soft spots for scientists since she met Jane, and Tony, and Betty and Bruce.

"Oh Gosh you're Darcy Lewis." Jemma cried out.

"How do you...?" She didn't have time to finish her question though.

"We're Fitzsimmons, we've been coordinating researches with you for months." Jemma explained.

"Oh!" Darcy said, she hoped they didn't know all the question she'd been asking them were about Phil, if only she had known. "Well it's good to finally meet you. But you know I was never here and all that." She reminded them.

"Are you going to tell us why?" Fitz asked.

"Not if I can help it." She admitted resisting to his sad, scientist face.

"So anyway, here we are." Simmons said getting out of the van.

"That's not a Bus that's a plane." She told them.

"Everyone as secrets to keep." Simmons offer, and really what could Darcy say to that.

They went into their lab, proceeded on a few exams as she set up a temporary account for them on her private server, they could only add Intel on it not retrieve any and even if they tried it was coupled to JARVIS so they would have a hard time achieving it.

While they were talking, testing her blood for any alien residue, the sun started to settle and Darcy hoped Phil didn't have too much trouble getting the others out of the playing ground. As she was staring into the nowhere-ness that were the white walls of the duo's lab, she started to think about her day, how she was still feeling empty, cold, like the Aether had taken her bonds away, but she couldn't tell anyone. The door behind her opened but Darcy only assumed it must have been Phil coming back, until she heard Fitz and Simmons squeal. She turned around and shook her head to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"I thought we agreed I would be the one taking on aliens." He told her before taking the next few steps toward her quickly so she wouldn't get off the table she was sitting on. He put his arms around her his left fingers combing her hair while the right ones were tracing circles on her lower back.

"You're really here." She said inhaling the smell of woods after the rain that always emanated from him, he was warm, and she could feel like herself again with him touching her.

"I'm here." He told her sliding himself in between her legs so he could get her into a bear hug, kissing her forehead and not getting his lips away from her when he was done, making her feel loved.

"I couldn't call anyone." She explained, wondering how everyone had been there so quickly now that she felt protected and had time think about it.

"When we couldn't call you yesterday as schedule we asked Jarvis and he said he couldn't call Buddy, so I fly out here, my Quinjet is just outside." He explained.

"And...?" She looked at him seeing his worried eyes for the first time.

"He and Tasha were not back yet, when I left." Clint explained.

"I missed you so much." She told him, refraining herself from kissing him, she might be getting down from her adrenaline high but she was still aware that she had dust everywhere and that there were two SHIELD scientists looking at them not so subtly. "I really, really want to do more than cuddle in a very near future, but maybe not right here." She whispered and he laughed rough and deep, sounding relieved, more for the fact that she would want to kiss him, or the fact that she could still joke than the fact that she wanted to wait, for sure.

"Anything you want Sugarplum." He told her.

"I should have put a stop to Steve's experiment." She said pushing him lightly while simultaneously holding on to his shirt tightly, her knuckles going white, so he wouldn't go too far. Clint was shielding her from the scientists so she pushed herself closer to him to look at them over his shoulder.

"That explains so much." Fitz said.

"If only you knew" Darcy teased him because Clint being here didn't explain a tenth of why they didn't have access to her.

"Oh and Agent Coulson got us here because someone asked him to come." Simmons informed her. Looked like just trying to call his secret line was a super power, a late one but who cared about that.

"That was me, I hope you were not doing anything too important." Darcy told them.

"We got aliens." Fitz told her.

"But you missed all the fun." She joked sensing as Clint tensed under her hands and getting no response from the duo. "People are seriously depressing today." she remarked.

"You almost got killed." Clint reminded her.

"And I made the best joke ever when Phil got in and no one laughed." She told him.

"You. Almost. Got. Killed." He told her accentuating each words, holding her chin toward him to force her to look into his eyes, his beautiful blue-grey, on the verge of crying eyes.

"I..." She was about to say something to calm him down but realized there was only one thing she really wanted to do and who cared if they had an audience or if she was covered with dust and possibly Dark Elves' blood. She leaned in brushing his lips with hers without breaking their eyes contact letting her hands trail over his arms, his shoulders, up to the nape of his neck, while blowing light kisses on his lips. When she started to play with his hair, he lowered his lips to hers and started kissing her, licking her lips, tucking her even closer against him, letting the tip of his nose caress hers every time he was getting his lips too far away from hers for both their liking. It was a simple tender kiss but at the same time it had made her feel more alive and loved than she had ever been, he kissed the tip of her nose just before they heard someone coughing behind them.

"How many?" Darcy asked, she was okay with the duo as an audience for their first kiss because she hadn't been able to stop herself to ask them for some privacy but that sounded like Phil and maybe Jane squealing from behind her.

"Looks like we are not a secret anymore." Clint told her tugging her closer so she could hide the blush of her face on his torso.

"Agent Coulson." He greeted Phil sounding smug.

"Hawkeye." Phil answered strangely sounding amused, but she couldn't look around to see if he was smiling.

"Darcy you have super powers, Agent Ward disappeared." Jane exclaimed happily.

"If only it could work on all of you." She mumbled onto Clint shirt making him chuckle.

"Are you done with her exams?" Phil asked for them, because Phil was perfect.

"Yes, everything seems normal." Simmons told them.

"Fine, Donald, please make sure Dr Foster and Dr Selvig get medical attention." He said and Darcy wanted to giggle, everyone had saw Thor on TV why was he still calling him Donald?

"With pleasure, Son of Coul." Thor told him putting Mjolnir on the table next to Darcy. "Friend Clint, It is good to see you again. May yours and Darcy's love flourish and give you the gift of..."

"No!" Darcy yelped. "Sorry! But no blessing from the God of fertility will be necessary right now Big Guy, you can come back to finish that sentence in a year or two." She said swatting Thor's arm while he laughed at her.

"You two, follow me!" Phil told Darcy and Clint holding the door for them.

"Jane." Clint kissed her cheek on the way out and shook hands with Erik.

"Not all our secrets are gone." she reminded him while they tried to follow Phil, but walking gets awkward when you have an Avenger glue to you back with his hands on your ribs tracing distracting little circles with the callouses of his fingers. "Stop it." she said swatting his hands but he only hold her tighter.

They got into Phil's office and he sighed smiling when he looked at them.

"I assume this is all new, and your little show last time was meant for Fury and me." He told them, and Darcy nodded she had forgot about their subterfuge.

"And no one knows?" Phil continued.

"Not even Tasha." Darcy admitted.

"I'll make sure it stays that way." Phil assured them and that was good enough for her. "Darcy I suppose people are waiting to be called, you can use my office, please wait until you're out of my plane to return to the kissing part of your day."

"Phil wait" Darcy stopped him. "I was meaning to call you, I did some digging and found nothing but you have access to more things than I do so..."

"What is it Darcy?" Phil asked her.

"You, it's about you, and me, and the bond, I don't get why it's gone." Darcy admitted.

"I died." Phil said.

"Yeah I know that, but I asked Nick and he said you two are okay, and Tony dies like every other month." Darcy told him looking for a clue of what he might make of it.

"I'll look into it." he told her pensively leaving his office.

Once Phil gone she sat on his desk tugging Clint close enough that no part of her front was left untouched by his, the coldness getting to her every time he stepped away from her. She got Phil's desk phone on speaker while she called JARIVS.

 _Agent Coulson! How may I help you?_

"It's me _J."_ She said and she could have sworn she heard him sigh in relief but Clint was breathing down her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin so maybe she was the one sighing.

 _It's nice to hear your voice Darcy. Did Agent Barton get to you?_

Clint mumble something into her collarbone that may have been meant as an answer to that but really all JARVIS needed was his voice imprint to get an answer so it was okay.

"Can you patch me up with the Tower People?" She asked knowing she'd have to call from elsewhere to reach Steve and Tasha. "Oh and Buddy too."

 _Sure thing Darcy._

"Would you stop that I need my brain cells to talk to them." She told Clint getting him to stop acting like he was never going to see her again for the time being, saying nothing to the slightly too tight bear hug he was keeping her in.

"Darce?" Tony asked once JARVIS got the line open.

"Hi! I am fine, everyone is alive, and Phil isn't going to steal my scientists." She told them.

"Ah good." She heard Bruce say.

"Do you need anything?" Pepper asked and Darcy was very much tempted to tell her 'no she had everything she need right here' but realistically Clint couldn't do everything.

"My PR team on a plane." Darcy admitted.

"Already on their way." Pepper told her.

"Can you get Fury to do the paperwork? Or his minions I am not picky. SHIELD was late we had to do everything ourselves they deserve the punishment." Darcy inquired.

"We can do that." Pepper answered but Darcy knew she had everyone behind her.

"Okay." Darcy sighed letting her head fall on Clint's shoulder. "Betty, my blood work is on the private server, JARVIS will give it to you can you make sure it's all normal?" She asked sensing Clint tensing up again.

"Did something happen?" Betty asked.

"I'll explain when I get back home." She told her and at least it would give her some time to figure things out for herself.

"Speaking of which when are you coming back?" Tony asked, obviously waiting for her to say, 'send the jet now'.

"2 maybe 3 days." She told him.

"But Darce." Tony argued.

"I have to wait for the PR team to get here, I need Clint and Thor to show their muscles and prove that the Avengers are helping with the cleaning up part so people won't look to closely into SHIELD, I need sleep, like 24 hours of it. Then I am all yours, and I'll even bring gifts, in the form of a tiny scientist." She explained.

"Fine." Tony relented. "3 days and you're back at the tower."

"Yes Dad." Darcy told him chuckling, she was spending all of her time trying to make him eat and sleep and do normal people stuff but one tiny teeny alien invasion and he was on the verge of locking her away in his tower and throwing away the key.

"I have to go." She finally told them when Clint told her she should try and reach the others too.

"See you in 3 days." Pepper told her, and Tony seconded it, Bruce and Betty laughing in the back ground.

"I swear those two you would think they were my parents or something" Darcy said getting her phone out of her back pocket.

"Call Tasha." She said because she didn't know what name the superspy would be on in her contacts but the voice reconnaissance always knew who to call no matter how many times the spies and other were changing their contact information for security reasons.

"Darce, I am a little busy here." Tasha told her.

"Just wanted to tell you that Clint's here, and I am neither dead nor injured." Darcy told her and heard a thump noise in the back ground.

"Ah, it's better now." She said taking a deep breath.

"Did you just kick someone's ass?" Darcy asked, she knew they were not on the mission right now because Tasha would have never even take her personnel phone with her, but that didn't mean she wasn't showing some dumbass who tried to grab her at a bar why it was a stupid idea.

"I am handling training with Brock and Rumlow while Cap is trying to get more Intel on London." she explained.

"Guess I should call him then." Darcy offered as if it wasn't her next step anyway.

"You should. Oh and he is really stubborn about that girlfriend thing so try and put in a good word for the idea while you're at it." Natasha told her, and Clint stifle a chuckle in her hair.

"Sure I'll do that." Darcy told her before hanging up.

"You're the one who told Tasha to find Steve a girlfriend?" Clint asked her raising one eyebrow dubiously.

"Well yeah, but to be honest I only asked her if she thought he was ready for a girlfriend she came up with the rest of it on her own, and I didn't have the heart to tell her 'no' . Plus he totally deserved it, trust me." she explained.

"What did he do?" Clint asked going back to making a trail of light kisses along her neck.

"He definitely didn't do that." She told him a little breathless when he tugged on her earlobe with his teeth.

"Oh!" Clint whispered, "and did he do this?" he said getting both of his hands on the small of her back under her shirt, thumbs tracing patterns teasingly light.

"No." she said shaking her head against his collarbone.

"Call Steve." He said handing her his phone already dialing the number.

"That's not...Ahhh!" She very convincingly protested when he started to let his tongue run against the skin of her collarbone.

"Darce?" She heard Steve said, _'Yeah Starkphone'_ she thought when it turned into speakerphone because no way she could hold it to her ear now.

"Steve." She said, and would never admit to have been moaning it due to Clint sucking a hickey on her neck thank you very much.


	27. Desperate times

**Desperate times...**

After JARVIS had alerted them it took 4 more hours to gather Intel confirming Darcy and Buddy were not the only people in England no one could get in contact with, one more hour to get to SHIELD and into a prepped Quinjet. Unfortunately Clint had been the only one in DC at the time, he would have waited for Steve to come with him, but he and Tasha where still debriefing on their latest mission in India and Steve had asked him not to wait for him.

While he was over the ocean he heard about the Aliens attack on the coms, about Thor defending the Earth, about people getting in the middle of things helping him. He was waiting for the moment they would tell him someone was dead, but only Thor went down, and it was for a short amount of time. Not that he didn't care, but he was solely focused on Darcy, he needed to make sure she was safe. Hill called him saying that Coulson's new team was on site giving him their coordinates to lend close to their plane, so he did.

It only took him a couple of minutes to find Darcy after that, Coulson's plane wasn't really hidden but it wasn't heavily guarded either, one look inside the glass wall lab and the smallest glint of dark wavy hair got him quickly at the door the key print process almost too long for him when he saw her swaying back and forth on the table.

"I thought we agreed I would be the one taking on aliens." Clint told her getting to her slowly, his eyes searching for injuries, for blood, before he took her in his arms not able to resist gathering her closer. She was shivering and she didn't seem to notice herself slurring every time she talked. She was definitely not okay, clinging to him as if he was her life line, not that he would complain about having her in his arms but she was definitely not acting like herself.

"I really, really want to do more than cuddle in a very near future, but maybe not right here." She whispered her lips grazing lightly the skin of his neck making him laugh in a rough voice to contain his groan. Clint wanted to take her out of here and keep her close to him forever if he had his way with it but logically it wasn't possible not even now.

They kept talking and she kept tugging him closer to her, even though there was already not even a breath between them. Hearing her joke was making him worry even more, she was shuddering in his arms and she didn't seem to notice it at all.

"You. Almost. Got. Killed." He repeated to her taking his time when his first try didn't seem to register. He knew, they all knew she had been in danger several times, even died thanks to Tony, not that Clint blame the man, it had never happen on purpose, but she never got this close to death, never really been exposed to it, when the Destroyer attacked she had Thor and Sif and the Warrior Three, protecting her, this time she had faced the Elves got involved into getting rid of them.

Darcy finally seemed to realize what he meant tears starting to cripple their way down her cheeks, she couldn't find words anymore, and it was okay, they could talk later, out of there, once they were alone. Plus Clint had his own nerves to deal with and there was no way he would leave her out of his sight soon. Especially after she had decided that she didn't care where they were, kissing him as if he was the only thing keeping her together.

Coulson saw it immediately, looking between Darcy, Clint and the med team behind them. He seemed to take a deep breath after his scientists confirmed that nothing was wrong with Darcy but asked to get them out of there anyway. Thor approached them, and Darcy made jokes as usual but Clint saw it in Thor eyes, he too had seen the way she flinched when he put Mjolnir next to her, and the girl loved that hammer, she had played with it trying to lift it when Thor was still at the Tower.

Clint greeted Selvig and Jane before following Darcy and Coulson to his office. He hold on to her as she kept tumbling on her own feet, swaying with each step. She tried to get him to stop touching her because it was distracting but he was worried that if he did she might fall over. She asked question about Phil's bond to her, tensing up with each sentences about it as if it was hurting her to talk it through. Phil leaving them allowed Clint to gather her in his arms again helping her sit down on Coulson's desk so she would be at eye level with him, and he had to admit that way he could cuddle with her hide himself in her collarbone, taking care of her had its advantages.

Darcy organized their next few days with Pepper and Tony, Clint would have prefer to manhandle her into the Quinjet to get back home now, and hoped someone would ask him to do it, but in truth he knew Darcy had responsibilities, and he would hate for his own handler to extract him just because he was feeling weird as long as he could work after a few hours of sleep.

It was Darcy's call to Steve that cemented Clint's conviction, not that it was bad on itself but Darcy's mind didn't seem to register any of his answers, basking in his voice, asking 3 times where he was, and what he was doing, making the same joke again and again giggling to herself. If she hadn't just been involved in an Alien attack Clint could have sworn she was drunk out of her mind. He tried to extract himself out of her bear hug but it was a lost battle.

"Steve, I am putting you on speaker but cutting your end of the conversation, is that okay with you?" Clint asked trying to wrestle his phone out of Darcy's hand, she was clinging to it as if it was a Teddy Bear.

"If it helps, do it." Steve told him. He had shown concern too. Darcy was distracted and sobbing every time he said he'd see her when she get back to NY.

Clint cut Steve off and used the interphone to contact Coulson.

"Agent Coulson could you please come back to your office?" He asked, and according to the small amount of time it took Clint assumed Phil had been pacing outside the office.

"Is something wrong with her?" Phil asked looking worriedly at a really touchy Darcy who had managed to get her hands under Clint's shirt saying she needed to feel him.

"You could say that. Would you get Jane and Thor please?" Clint asked getting her hand away by keeping them in his, making Darcy sigh.

"What about Dr Selvig and Mister Boothby?" Phil asked.

"Erik likes science." Darcy stated.

"Yes Baby, that's not helpful but you're right Erik likes science." Clint told her realizing quickly what a mistake he made when she started to cry.

"I'm stupid." Darcy sobbed in his shirt.

"Oh no, you're not stupid Darce, not at all, you're very smart, only tired." he tried calming her down a little.

"I am going to go fetch them than." Phil said looking dubious about Darcy's state of mind.

"Get Erik to talk about the convergence with Fitzsimmons." Darcy told him after several mute trials.

"I'll do that and I'll get mister Boothby to start on some of those papers he has to sign." Coulson said living them alone again but Darcy only snuggled her nose on his collarbone closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked immediately when she got in followed by Thor and a hesitating Coulson, to whom Clint signaled to stay.

"Since when hasn't she slept?" Clint asked scolding his tone not to sound angry at Jane.

"Yesterday, I think, we had a fight before Asgard, she spent the night in her hotel room so I can't be sure." Jane told him.

"Monday." Darcy mumbled.

"It's Thursday." Clint stated shocked but it got Darcy out of her slumber.

"Oh no I had a 'Cake and cookies' plan, I need to go home and bake them." She said pushing Clint away and immediately starting to shiver frantically.

"What the Hell is wrong with her?" Jane asked.

"Adrenaline drop!" Phil and Clint both offered at the same time.

"Sounds made up." Jane told them at the same time Darcy started to struggle against Clint

"I'm busy, can't stay in bed all day it's Thor's day and he's here I have to bake him a cake." Darcy said stubbornly, fighting against Clint's restraining arms. Jane started to complain so he released her to show he didn't do it for fun. As soon as his arms had left Darcy's body she started to shiver and almost fall over trying to get back into them.

"What the...?" Jane started to ask but Thor stopped her.

"Hey Baby" Clint told Darcy getting her hair out of her face before getting his arms right back around her instantly making the shiver stop. "It's okay, you won against aliens today, you'll make cookies next week, Thor doesn't mind at all." He said encouraging Thor to help.

"Not at all, in fact I require more sleep than food at the moment." Thor assured her.

"Oh good, good." Darcy repeated getting back deep into Clint's embarrass, trying to mold her body to his calm once again.

"Okay what was that?" Jane asked.

"We have something similar on Asgard, when a warrior is left too long without sleep after a battle and is living on the remaining energy of the war alone he has to be forced to rest or the trouble of his mind would leave him impaired." Thor explained as Clint and Phil both groaned wondering why they let him explain, while Jane was looking at Darcy with wide eyes.

"It's not that bad." Clint told her. "When you face something dangerous, like Aliens for example your Adrenal hormone level increase. When everything goes right your body get slowly rid of the excess of adrenaline, once you don't need to be all fearless and strong, or need to not feel the pain coming from injuries anymore, and you have little to none effects. Adrenaline Drop is when your body get rid of it all at once, I've seen agents suffer from small drops, they get really depressed if you say even the tiniest unkind thing, like you don't like their shoes or something, some get clingy and emotional, some get really into sex, Tasha says it's an endorphin thing, most only get extremely tired." Clint explained repeating what he had heard Medical tell to countless agents, adapting it to the situation, he hadn't understand it at the time and wasn't sure of how it worked but Jane was smarter than him.

"And in Darcy's case?" Jane asked concerned, Darcy not realizing at all people were talking about her.

"Looks like something else than lack of sleep and Aliens, must have happened and with the life she lives, always expecting something to come up, mostly something bad, even though it's usually happening to one of us not to her, she must live on adrenaline, counting on it to keep her working, today her brain went to adrenaline overdose, she is in shock because it disappeared." Clint continued, not sure it really help either.

"It's like when you're in the middle of a science bender your body is tired but your brain wants to keep going, for a few minutes you sound like you got really drunk. Just goes deeper" Phil tried out.

"What went wrong with her? It's not the first time we face that kind of events." Jane asked.

"Not sure." Clint admitted. "Darce, Baby, would you tell me what's going on in your head?" He asked gently.

"Warm, love, happiness." Darcy told him leaving little kisses on his neck and it would have been cute if she was able to form full sentences.

"What if I do that?" He asked getting only a couple of inches from her.

"No don't go" She told him, sobbing again. "Cold, empty, scared." She answered him clearly forcing herself doing it only to get him back.

"Shush, it's okay Baby I am not leaving you again." Clint assured her hugging her tightly listening to her sigh.

"Did something happen when we were out?" Jane asked but Darcy shook her head violently.

"Was it before?" Jane asked again and Darcy nodded.

"Can you tell us what it was?" Phil prompted, he was right to push they didn't know what happened they needed to know if it was dangerous for anyone else.

"Aether took it all away." Darcy sobbed.

"It took what away?" Jane probed and Darcy cling tighter to Clint.

"Clint, Tasha, Tony, Hulk, Steve." She told Jane looking at her terrified.

"You mean the bonds?" Jane asked.

"Bonds, love, future, I was all cold and empty inside." Darcy explained now fully crying.

"Don't cry Darce, it's going to be all okay. I promise." Clint told her tracing soothing circle on her back making her purr.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jane asked.

"Because you don't care about me, you didn't want to come home with me, and then the Elves where there." Darcy mumbled.

"Of course I care about you Darcy, you're my best friend I was just being stubborn and jealous because once we get to the tower you'll have your fancy job to get back to and the bonds." Jane yelled at her accidentally and Darcy flinched, as if all she could hear was the yelling and not the love and care behind the tone.

"Okay Jane come here." Clint gestured for her to approach. "We're going to try again, you hold her while you tell her all that and you don't yell it at her." Clint explained and Thor encouraged Jane to move but at the same time the woman looked like she didn't want to make things worth.

"Look, it's okay, what you said and all, she'll get it eventually, maybe not tonight but she'll be happy, and trust me if anyone should be jealous here it should be us, she was ready to quit to stay with you, we even had a plan to kidnap you and Tony wanted to give you her pony just so you would say yes." Clint explained to her. "You just need to show her you care, so come here and hug her."

Jane finally took the few last steps and Clint stepped away to let her hug Darcy, the scientist whispering how much she loved her into Darcy's ear.

"Clint she's crying again." Jane told him a little panicked that she might have said something wrong. Clint gently moved Darcy back into his arms.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, I am so, so, sorry. Please don't go. I really, really tried. You deserve so much better, you're kind and smart and hot and you should be with someone better than me someone who could love you like you deserve, just you, I didn't mean for it to happen, didn't mean to love him too, I just can't help it, you both deserve so much better." Darcy recited over and over again, leaving Clint stunt for long minutes before Jane sent him a paperclip she found on the desk to get him back to the moment.

"We should get you home." Clint said, not knowing what else to do.

"Steve." Darcy admitted surprising everyone in the room apart from Clint and Jane.

"Not yet, you should sleep first and after I take you to Steve okay?" Clint asked her not caring about the people around.

"I am sorry, I am selfish and greedy I don't want you to hate me." Darcy explained hiccupping and Clint got silent again listening to Darcy not knowing what to say, glancing to his phone next to Darcy on the desk.

"Oh!" Jane said taking the phone in hand clicking a few buttons while getting out of the office.

"I really don't know what's going in on here." Phil said over the litany of 'sorry' Darcy kept telling Clint.

"I am sure Lady Jane has a plan of action, Son of Coul, do not fear." Thor told him.

"It's not going to tell me what's going on." Phil sighed.

Clint was still clinging tight to Darcy trying to make her stop crying and apologizing for things she didn't do when Jane came back.

"You have 5 minutes, we'll be outside." She told Clint who suddenly thought maybe he should build a statue at Jane's effigy put it on top of the Avengers Tower. "JARVIS the floor is yours." She said and hushed Thor and Coulson outside just as a video conference with Steve appeared on the wall of the office.

"What is...?" Coulson started but Clint never heard to rest of the question.

"I am sorry Steve, I'm so, so sorry." Darcy said when she saw him, crying even more.

"I don't know what to do." Clint admitted.

"It's okay." Steve told him before turning all his attention toward Darcy. "Darce" he simply said at first but when it didn't work. "Chipie" he tried, encouraging a small giggle out of Darcy.

"Chipie really?" Clint asked dubious.

"It's a French for little minx, it was next on my list." Steve said shrugging. "Darce you're listening to me?" But Darcy shook her head to tell him 'no'.

"You two deserve to be loved by people who would only love you not by a flimsy who can't even choose." She told them going back into her sobbing.

"That's weird I believed being loved by the two of you was even better, you're right we deserve all the love we can get all three of us, that's why we got together so we can have even more love and happiness" Steve said in a gentle tone. "You don't have to choose, and you're not making us choose either, we both know your heart is big enough for everyone, and you'll still have enough love left to make it extra special for the both of us."

"But you should have better, you're superheroes and you save the Earth, you shouldn't have to share." Darcy told him only sniffing.

"We want to share, because we want to be with each other as much as we want to be with you." Clint finally assured her.

When Darcy stayed silent in his arms, Clint looked up at Steve who seemed ready to just highjack one of the Quinjet to get to them. Jane coming back with Thor and Phil in toe distracted them.

"She needs to sleep, and eat, just take extra special care of her tonight." Steve told Clint who nodded. "I wish I could be with you."

"We'll call you back once we get to her place?" Clint offered.

"I'd like that yeah." Steve agreed. "Thor, Phil." Steve finally acknowledged them.

"Captain." They both answered.

"So much things didn't happen today." Phil told them smiling.

"Thanks." Steve said waving to Darcy before shutting off the call, he would need to get back home if he wanted to talk to them later.

"There wouldn't be enough space on the report papers anyway." Phil joked, making even Darcy chuckle.

"Is it okay if we go now?" Clint asked Phil mostly but to everyone really, he didn't know if Jane and Thor were done.

"My place is going to be too small for all of us tonight. Maybe we should get to her hotel room." Jane suggested.

"I don't want Ian to get involved." Clint told her.

"I'll keep him here, make sure he is the last one for the medical tests and wait until he's done to give him more papers to sign." Phil offered.

"Erik." Darcy reminded them.

"He already spent time at my mom's before. We could leave him there when we go get some clothes, Mom won't mind." Jane told them.

"Leave him?" Clint asked.

"I like you Clint really, and we'll leave you alone but I want to be able to be there if she needs me." She explained. "It's a two bedroom suite" she assured him.

"Thor." Darcy mumbled.

"I'll leave in the morning." He said holding Jane close to him. "I also want to make sure Darcy will be safe. I'll protect our stay while you take care of your loved one."

"And yes you can all leave, Dr Foster got tested, she's fine, so you're free to go. Fitz and Simmons are not done with Dr Selvig yet so we could just drive him back to Dr Foster's place later if you want." Phil told them.

Soon Clint, Jane, Thor and Darcy were on the way back to Jane's place. Thor had offered to keep Darcy entertained while Clint and Jane packed overnight bags, Clint got her comfortable clothes, sweats, yoga pants, underwear, big socks, a sweater and his SHIELD shirt. Buddy came with them to the hotel, but was to stay with Thor and Jane for the evening, the God please to meet a new friend, and Jane busy showing off Buddy's knowledge.

Clint got Darcy into their room closing the door behind them with his foot, while still holding her close. Getting her to the en-suite bathroom didn't take long, getting her to let go of him took more convincing however.

"Darce?" Clint got her attention to him. "Hey there, you have blood and rumble on you, we're going to get it all away, okay?"

Really the question was 'is it okay for me to undress you?' but he was choosing his wording very carefully so she wouldn't think he didn't want to do it. If possible he would have left the bathing time to Jane, as to not feel like he was taking advantages of the situation to see her naked for the first time, but Thor already had trouble being left alone with her for only a handful of minutes, because Darcy had thought the Aether was back, so Clint was in charge now, no matter the possible uncomfortable situation it could create in the future.

Darcy only nodded humming, but not making a single movement to take her clothes off. Clint sat her on the edge of the bathtub, running the water so she could take a warm bath but Darcy stopped him, pointing out the shower.

"Not sure you can stand alone Baby." Clint told her contrite.

"Not alone." She said looking at him hopeful.

"Yeah, okay." Clint told her because if it was what she needed he could totally go into the shower with her, maybe he would just keep his boxer on as to remember they were not in there to play.

"If I call Steve will you be okay talking with him while I prepare everything we need?" Clint asked her hoping she would say 'yes' because as much as he liked cuddling with her, he wanted to find warm towels, and run the water so it would be hot as soon as they'll get in, or if he had time even prep their clothing for the rest of the night.

"Hum Okay, can try". Darcy told him nodding. Clint got his phone out calling out for it to dial Steve's number and gave it for Darcy to hug back as she had done before.

"Steve, we made it to the room, we're about to take a warm shower so she'll get rid of the battle, can you talk to her while I get everything ready?" Clint asked knowing Steve would do it already.

" **We're** going to take a shower? Interesting." Steve said and Clint groaned.

"Seriously not cool, she doesn't want to take a bath, what else am I supposed to do?" Clint asked.

"I am just joking Tweety." Steve said and Clint shook his head fondly even though Steve couldn't see him. "So Darce, did you do anything interesting in England?" Clint heard Steve ask but not if Darcy answered, he had managed to get out of the bathroom leaving the door open so she could call for him if needed, Jane had already put clothes for Darcy on the bed but clearly didn't bother with his surely not knowing if she should look into his bag to begin with.

He had time to find an extra warm blanket and some very thick towels in the linen cabinet, start the shower and undress himself before Darcy called out for him.

"Clint." She call lightly only above a whisper but he was at her side immediately. "Want to take Steve to the shower." She told him and he almost laughed at her, barely keeping himself from doing it when he saw how serious she was.

"Let's get you out of your clothes first before we figure out if Starkphones are waterproof, okay?" Clint offered and Steve laughed. "You got a better idea 'oh captain, my captain'?" well at least that got Darcy to giggle which at this point was gold, but it might have been due to Clint clumsiness when he tried to get her scarf off without knocking her glasses off.

"Not that I don't want to share the shower with the both of you, but if we drown the phone we won't be able to talk later." Steve pointed out.

"Good point." Darcy mumbled as Clint go her shirt off her. "Interesting tactics." she told Clint watching as he got her shirt off before kneeling to help her with her shoes. Darcy seemed lighter, even if not quite there yet, but as if being with only Steve and Clint helped her.

Clint had watched the similar behavior from Tasha whenever she was injured, she would try all she could to be strong around others, denying the hurt, going on with missions, but she could be a real baby once left alone with him. Here Darcy had tried hard to stay on top of things thinking about Erik, Ian, Thor and Jane, her work, but inside this rather large bathroom she didn't have to think about anything else than Steve and Clint and it seemed to help.

"If the order in which I take your clothes off are not to your taste Sugarplum, you can always help." He told her grinning. Even though his smile didn't stay on his face for long as she very unhelpfully took off her bra. "That's not helping, Darce." He said taking back his phone to snap a picture to send Steve. In the last month, they had mastered the art of the 'If you feel guilty about one of us missing out, send a picture out'.

"Why would you send me that?" Steve complained although he didn't sound complaining at all.

"Share the misery." Clint told him shrugging, making Darcy giggle once again.

"Just get in the damn shower." Steve cried out, Clint wondering if Steve was waiting for them to hang up on him or not while helping Darcy out of her pants.

"Hot shower." Darcy mused.

"Yeah, yeah we're going." He told them helping Darcy back up and to the shower stall.

"Wait Steve." She said pointing out the phone she had left on the edge of the bathtub.

"I don't know if we can..." Clint started but Darcy didn't seem to believe leaving the phone out or hanging up could be a valuable options so Clint got her in the stall helping her lean against the wall while he went back out to retrieve Steve.

"You forgot something." Darcy said and Clint stopped dead before he could turn back to her.

"Darce please don't." Clint said but when he turned around Darcy had left her 'carefully left on' panties fall onto the shower floor.

"You know you could..." Steve started and Clint stopped him.

"No I can't, I can't because we promised each other." he said looking at a blushing Darcy. "And even without that, even if we had already gotten over the naked fun part of our relationship I would never do it, she is not in her right mind." Clint yelled at the phone, even though he knew it wasn't Steve's fault. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Steve told him lovingly. "I love that you would never be that guy." He added making Darcy smile. "That being said not what I was going to say."

"What do you suggest then?" Clint asked still holding the glass door open so they could all talk together.

"Well first I want pictures of the two of you in the shower." Steve told him and Clint rolled his eyes, got in the stall angled the phone so the spray of water wouldn't hit it and took a picture of himself with Darcy in his arms. "Great" Steve said getting more breathless than Darcy and Clint were even in the steaming room.

"Steve, plan?" Darcy probed him when he stayed silent for too long.

"Clint just put the phone somewhere it won't get too wet. I'll stay on the phone while you shower, that way Darcy can talk to me and I can talk to you." Steve said, simple but to the point.

"Yeah okay." Clint said and placed the phone in equilibrium at the corner of two glass shower wall, as long as no one shattered the glasses it should keep. He knew Steve wouldn't really be able to talk to them or hear them over the stream and no one would scream or they would alert Jane and Thor but it was a comforting presence for Darcy who had been slowly snuggling back into him.

"That feels good." Darcy told him when Clint walked her back under the spray of warm water so it would hit her back gently.

"Not too warm?" He asked her ready to make it cooler if she needed too, but she simply buried her head into his shoulder whispering 'no'.

"Baby, stay with us a little longer please." he asked her not really opposed at her cuddly behavior but he needed help focusing on his washing, getting her to bed mission.

"Don't want to." She told him and Clint couldn't find it in himself to argue with that.

"You did well today, you were so strong, it's okay to let go, I'll take care of you now, okay?" Clint asked her.

Darcy simply nodded against him closing her eyes. Clint first got her to seat down, the shower floor was now warm and it was made of marble, nothing that would feel too harsh on Darcy's skin. He took the shower attachment and one of the miniature bottles of shampoo, one of conditioner on the shelf and sat down a few feet behind her. He put his hand on her forehead and helped her lean back slowly so her hair would get wet, before manhandling her so she would sit between his extended legs, he poured plenty of the flowery shampoo on her hair, Tasha had told him often enough that it wasn't necessary when he helped her wash her hair after an injury but he liked the bubbles and hoped Darcy would appreciate it too. Lathering her hair he started massaging her scalp, with slow circles from the tip of his fingers, making her shiver and lean back onto him. He had been right the bubbles made her laugh, not for the reason he had hoped, he ended up with half his face covered in it when he tried to kiss her, but it was still good to hear her laugh.

"Feels good." Darcy told him relaxing against him.

"It does." He admitted, rinsing out the shampoo repeating his previous massage when he applied the conditioner, getting her hair to feel silky.

"You're ready to stand back up?" He asked after he was done with her hair. Darcy nodded squirming herself closer to him and humming.

"Come on Baby, we'll go to bed after that." He told her pulling them up holding her waist as close to him as he could. Once up he turned her over so her front would be to his, and started by kissing her, gently trying to coax her back to him from wherever her mind was wandering. Hopefully Darcy responded to his kisses, not pushing them to get deeper, sexier, enjoying the simple feeling of their lips grazing each other playfully. Clint turned the shower head back one making the hot water rain on both of them, and getting Darcy to giggle again.

"Should get soapy too." She told him when he started to lathe her with soap, holding her hand so he would put some of the content of the bottle in it for her to apply to him too.

Contrary to what he had meant at first, Clint took his time, covering every inch of her skin with soft soap making sure all the grimes from the battle was getting in the drain, covering every part of her he could get to with her still plaster on to him with light butterfly kisses, tasting the skin of her neck under his tongue. He had a hard time not crowding her against the wall of the shower so he could explore more of her, reminding himself that it wasn't the time, no matter how loud the moans and whimper he was getting out of her with gentle touches could get.

"We really need to get out." He finally told her breathless, his voice rough.

"Don't want to." She told him trying to get herself impossibly closer.

"Steve." He simply whispered in her ear, and she let out a sob before nodding. Clint still took the time to kiss her properly, opening her lips delicately with the tip of his tongue, enjoy the groan she gave him, stroking her tongue with his, his hand on her hips holding her tightly against him.

Once he got his lips out of hers his head resting on her forehead, her hand on his chest, he got a good look at her eyes, she was looking so... He wished he knew better, stronger words to describe how happy she looked, but it was okay because he was pretty sure he had the same crazed look, and it wasn't a good time to speak anyway.

Cling got her out of the shower, grabbing the phone on the way out. He sat her back on the edge of the bathtub wrapping her in the biggest towel he could find before drying himself up wrapping his towel on his hips once he had gotten rid of his boxer, their little make out session had gotten rid of any sense of privacy or decency anyway, then he went back to her, rubbing the towel energetically, taking a second smaller towel to dry her hair.

"I don't have anything to blow dry them" He told her, he hadn't think about that.

"Don't care." Darcy told him.

"Now come on." He told her leading her to the bed room, where he helped steady her as she pulled her clothes back on.

"Captain America's PJ pants with your shirt?" She asked sounding amused.

"Not subtle enough?" Clint asked her taking a picture for Steve while she was getting her hair in a tight bun.

"I like that look very much." Steve told them, letting himself talk to them after almost half an hour of silence.

"Laptop." Darcy made grabby hands until Clint gave it to her. He only understood why when a few seconds later they heard JARVIS video com' signal on Steve's background.

"You look clean." Steve told them smiling. "Although Darce I think you have something on your neck Clint missed."

Clint bend down to take a look and rolled his eyes kissing the mark he had left on Darcy's skin.

"Do you want to eat something?" Clint asked Darcy gathering her right back in his arms.

Darcy took one look at the door separating them from Jane and Thor, who were laughing at something Buddy did, before shaking her head.

"Sleep?" She asked looking torn at the idea of shutting off Steve.

"It's okay Little Chipie, I have to meet Fury about taking some days off anyway, so I'll be able to go back to the tower with you." Steve explained, trying hard to not look worried.

"I like that idea." Darcy told him.

They said their goodnight promising to call back as soon as Darcy would wake up before disconnecting Steve and putting the laptop away.

"You're going to be okay?" Clint asked as they slept under the covers rolling her so she would face him. She pulled the sheets over their head before nodding. Clint didn't particularly like the idea of Darcy wanting to hiding out from the world, but she curled herself into his side, kissed him good night and was asleep with her first deep breath so he kept the sheet over their head anyway, following her into sleep.


	28. Desperate measures

**... Desperate measures.**

Three freaking days, Darcy, Clint and the others, stayed 3 freaking days in London before getting back home. Sure they were calling him several times a day, and even if they hadn't been a secret he still wouldn't have been able to fly to London to join them, especially since they promised to be back after 3 freaking days.

Steve didn't wait for them to come back though, he left Natasha at the Triskelion, to deal with coordinating things, to fly them all back from there to the tower once Clint would have brought back the Quinjet. He went back to the Tower, organized things made sure JARVIS had ordered Darcy's favorite treats, that her floor was ready, her favorite plush on her bed. Clint had told him that she wanted them to sleep in her room for now, emphasis on the sleeping part, not that he thought about doing anything else he just wanted to be next to them. He brought up clothing from his floor and was about to ask JARVIS if he was allowed on Clint's level since he shared it with Natasha, deciding that Clint could go naked it was way better than risking getting into the Black Widow floor without her authorization, on second thoughts it was the best solution to everything.

But now he was on the common floor, or the family floor as Tony decided to call it. He was there and, Jane, Thor, and Natasha were talking on the side about Loki's death, Tony and Pepper were sitting on either side of Darcy on the couch with Bruce questioning her about the Aether and Betty taking more blood to test her. No one was touching her because she had asked them not to, told them she couldn't really explain why, said that at first she had decided not to talk about it thinking it was a bond thing or a London thing since she had no problem with Clint but it had changed after they landed in DC and Natasha hugging her had felt uncomfortable the same way touching Jane or Thor had.

"Hey, you're planning on going anywhere near her at some point?" Clint asked surprising him by putting himself behind him close enough to whisper directly in his ear, one of his hand invisible to the others playing under his shirt on the small of his back. Steve sighed deeply letting himself lean against the weight of Clint's hand.

"I want to do more than sit close to her." Steve admitted after a few minutes.

"Than do it." Clint told him.

"I can't." Steve simply said.

"Why not?" Clint insisted.

"Because she isn't okay whatever happened she is not okay and she needs them to take care of her. I can't take it away from her and be selfish. They are going to notice. They'll end up asking question, judging us instead of taking care of her" Steve explained.

"I've been running my hand on your back for the past 5 minutes and no one noticed." Clint told him.

"They are not looking at us." Steve argued. "But they are looking at her."

"That's just an excuse. And it's not you." Clint told him "I am not talking about Captain America, that's the man they are waiting for you to be, staying away protecting her from possible outside danger, you're playing that part perfectly." He started to explain. "I am talking about Steve Rogers, the man who spent the last month talking to her 2 hours a day even on secret missions, who spent so much time telling me what he wanted our first reunion to be like that I haven't slept in the past 2 days anticipating what getting the two people I…" He stopped. "I want my two people to be happy, you convinced me it was possible now act the part." He finished.

"You're cute." Steve joked to prevent himself from just leaning and kissing him. "I really want that too." Steve admitted.

"I could play the good little spy, get them all out. I have a Machiavellian plan, it involves burning the dinner you so carefully plan out, so they'll have to come and help me cover it up. I'll even tell Jane to stay out of the kitchen with you so she will be able to tell you when we're done." Clint explained playfully.

"You're the Devil." Steve told him smiling tenderly.

"But you're still going to stay here?" Clint asked.

"But I am still going to stay right here." Steve confirmed.

"You're going to tell me why?" Clint insisted.

"I don't want her to be uncomfortable because of me." Steve finally admitted.

"See that seems more like you and more like a very good reason." Clint teased. "I don't know what happened to her in London, she said she wouldn't explain until everybody was here, until she had more intel, she wanted to know if it was a bond thing or just a 'her' thing." He explained.

Steve was about to complain so Clint stopped him.

"Whatever it was, whatever the Aether did, it went away when Thor got the Aether in the crate." Clint told him. "What she has now, it's psychological, I can't be sure, no one can, but she has no problem touching me, she actually jumps into my arms every time she can, and the first thing she asked when I told her we were going home was when we'll be able to be with you. She is just as scared as you, and I am not spending the night in the middle just so you won't have to touch each other."

"Seems like a good place to sleep though." Steve joked.

"Great you can sleep in the middle." Clint whispered.

"I jumped into that one didn't I?" Steve groaned.

"Yep." Clint gloated.

"Don't burn dinner." Steve told him looking him in the eyes for the first time since they had been back. "And just for the record she's not the only one I want to do more than sit close to."

"I know that." Clint told him putting more pressure into his caresses.

"I don't want to go" Steve sighed.

"Everything will be fine, they all already know she is closer to us it will be fine if she lets you touch her." Clint assured him again.

"No, I mean I don't want you to stop." Steve said smirking.

"Smooth Cap. Just go." Clint told him pushing him toward Darcy a little.

Steve had only taken a few steps when Jane suddenly cried out.

"I was promised wonderland. I mean this space is great, very window-y and all, but I came for the promise of science."

In a handful of seconds both Tony and Bruce were leading her toward the elevator promising to show her everything, Betty behind them saying she had enough to start testing.

"Tasha you mind making sure they don't go into Science! before diner?" Darcy asked and Natasha nodded following them. Thor approached Pepper who stayed with Darcy and started to ask her if she could help him find a present for Jane, he had been missing for a long time he needed to make it up.

"Burning dinner?" Steve said shocking his head smiling fondly at Clint.

"The Best Spies don't tell you their real plan." Clint shrugged.

"When did you even plan this?" Darcy asked gesturing for them to come closer.

"On the plane while you were sleeping. It was all Jane's idea." Clint told her leaning to kiss her forehead while sitting down.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked Clint when Steve sat as far as he could from her while still sitting on the couch.

"Doesn't believe in the magical power of love." Clint shrugged.

"Oh." Darcy said then turned toward Steve "The thing you didn't take into account Captain Rogers is that I will never, ever, leave evil win, ever let it take any of you from me. You said I had enough love in me to make it extra special with the two of you? Well this..." She said pushing herself on his laps. "Is some of the extra part."

Darcy was grinning at him, with her it didn't necessarily meant she was fine but it was a sure sign that he better not disagree with her.

" _J_ you'll tell us if anyone comes back right?" Darcy asked the AI.

 _I was already planning on it._

"Best wingman ever." Darcy told him.

"I am pretty sure Nat is trying to beat him on it." Steve told them.

"About that..." Darcy started but played with her teeth on her lips instead.

"What did you do?" Steve sighed.

"I just asked her if she thought you were ready for a girlfriend. Her deciding that it was her new mission in life to find you one was not my fault." She said before mumbling "I just didn't stop her."

"You know I have enhanced hearing, don't you?" Steve said raising an eyebrow at her.

"I was bored in London, and you two had each other. I also implied she should find out who Clint's new person was. I thought worst case scenario she would find out about the two of you and you already told me you didn't care." She defended herself.

"When did you plot your evil plan?" Steve asked curious.

"When she came to distract me from Tony." Darcy explained. "She was all tense from Bucharest and suspicious because of the call you gave me when she arrived. So I gave her something to focus on that wouldn't be me. I am not trained to hide stuff to the Black Widow."

"So she's been spying on us for what? 10 to 12 days?" Clint asked.

 _11 days Agent Barton._

"You've been keeping track?" Clint inquired.

 _A wager was brought to me, I had to make sure it could be completed._

"You got JARVIS to bet against you?" Steve asked Darcy shocked.

"That would be crazy, he is omnipotent and all that. I bet against Jane." Darcy told them. "JARVIS is our referee, since all our calls or text comes through him he would know if one of us was cheating and just telling Tasha. Also he locked any evidence from the Tower or our phone and video chat, because that would be spy-cheat and Tasha isn't allowed to cheat just because she doesn't know she is playing."

"Aren't I suppose to be the 'man with the plan'?" Steve joked.

"You're rubbing off on us." Darcy shrugged. "And speaking of that, how about we skip dinner and go rub against each other some more?"

 _That would go against the rules Miss Lewis._

"You're wingman is kind of a spoilsport, baby." Clint mocked her.

"That doesn't sound very subtle." Steve added.

"I am so going to tell Buddy he can't talk to you JARVIS." Darcy said glaring at the opposite wall.

"Oh don't be like that, he helped me prepare everything so we could sleep in your room tonight all three of us." Steve told them. "Well if Clint stays naked because I might be Captain America but I am not getting on Nat's floor when she isn't there."

Darcy laughed snuggling closer into him, getting her head on his collarbone while Clint was running his finger into his scalp.

"You're the best _J."_ Darcy told the IA.

 _Glad you approve._

They stayed like that for a few minutes in silence, Darcy on his laps her feet on Clint's, he had one hand massaging her calf, the other in Steve's hair. It was peaceful, like finally every part of him were where they were supposed to be instead of trying to find a place leaving him restless.

"You're still with us?" Clint asked when he sighed heavily enjoying the moment.

"Yeah I'm still with you." Steve said tightening his grip on Darcy leaning down to kiss the crown of her hair before gently brushing his fingers against Clint's chin getting him close enough to leave a small gentle kiss on the man's lips.

"You're okay Darce?" Clint asked when she missed a breath and had to cough loudly.

"I just hope I'll never get use to watching that. Do it again!" She said excited like a five year old who gets a puppy.

 _Sorry to interrupt but diner is ready and everyone will be back in shortly._

"Thank you JARVIS." Steve told him. "So that bet with Nat, how long do we have to hide for you to win?"

"It's not that kind of bet" They heard Jane say behind them.

" _J_!" Darcy cried out.

 _Doctor Forster already knows, and she is alone._

"We were having a moment." Clint signaled.

 _I can assure you Sir as strict protocols that limits the access to a room if any clothing are to be removed by a minimum of two persons. And over the years he provided me with enough data to judge when a situation calls for such lock down._

"You can have a romantic fully clothed moment, and not want for it to be interrupted _J_." Darcy schooled him.

 _I'll make sure to study such a thing and act accordingly from now on._

"Thank you _J_ " Darcy groaned.

Living with JARVIS had sounded like a fun not creepy way into the 21st century until now, being studied to learn romanticism and limits of privacy, sounded stalkerish.

"Back to the bet?" Steve asked while Darcy sat herself between the both of them so they could keep touching her, Clint with his hand around her shoulder still playing with Steve's hair and Steve with a hand laced to hers.

"Oh yeah it doesn't have a limit date. Jane bet that Tasha will find out by herself, I say she won't until we tell her." Darcy explained.

"We even made all kinds of rules to define 'by herself'." Jane added.

"Interesting." Steve said running his thumb on Darcy's wrist.

"Like if she opens a door and find us. If it's a closet door that we couldn't know she would need to check, she found out by herself. If she opens the door to an obvious place, like Clint's Bedroom, or the kitchen, or the training room..."

"Yeah we get it." Clint interrupted Darcy before she ended up listing all the places in the tower.

"Yeah okay. If it's obvious than it's like we told her. A few places are into both categories and JARVIS as to choose according to the situation. And of course if it was a semipublic place like mine or Steve's floor outside of our bedrooms, bathrooms but she came in unannounced than she still found out by herself." Darcy nodded to herself.

"So if you get caught anywhere public or on Clint's floor since he shares with her I win, also goes if she just guess. And Darcy wins if you just outright tell everyone." Jane told them.

"Sounds like Darcy could just tell them and win." Steve said.

"But that wouldn't be fun." Darcy countered. "Plus it's a winner looser kind of bet."

"Meaning?" Steve probed.

"The one of us who wins has to babysit Tony for a month." Darcy tells him and Steve and Clint just chuckled.

"One last rule she has to find out about the three of you for it to end, just two doesn't count even if she finds out about Clint and Darcy and then caught Darcy and Steve, or Steve and Clint kissing, as long as she doesn't make the connection the bet is still on." Jane explained.

"And we can't lie to her, you can go around things like I did by sending her to the two of you but no lying because Clint is a spy, and Steve is bad at it." Darcy added.

"Wow you two were bored." Steve sighed.

"You have no idea." Darcy laughed out.

Dinner was an easy thing, Tony had made a family kitchen big enough to prep food for everyone, including a God and a Super-solider, it had come harder when it came to cooking 3 turkeys for one meal but Steve still managed, JARVIS was controlling the timer and you can command the change in temperature from another room. Tony even manage to get a round table in the dining room.

"So how long before we start talking about the elephant in the room?" Tony asked after a few minutes of silence, making both Steve and Darcy choke on their food.

"Is the elephant one of those delicious meat?" Thor asked Jane not so subtly and Darcy sent a wink to him, she knew he was trolling them he had taken time to get to know Earth while he worked on the Tesseract last summer.

"Oh that's cute." Tony answered joking.

"Do we have to do that now Tony?" Pepper asked. "We could enjoy the night and see about it later."

"No it's fine." Darcy told her thankful. "Just ask away."

"I just have one question in fact. Jane said the Aether did something to you when you got close to it and I want to know what it was." Tony said firmly but sounding more concerned than Steve had ever heard him be.

"Darkness, loneliness, emptiness, it made me feel like that for days. And when I touched Jane while she had it in her it felt like I couldn't feel, hear, smell, or see, it was only for a few second but it was terrifying." She told them, wincing at the mentioned of Jane.

"You played with the Tesseract before." Bruce pointed out.

"She was different. You remember Tess, how warm and nice she was? How she was singing to me? She was beautiful and full of life." Darcy told him. "With the Aether, I've been feeling like I wasn't really there for days, like if I was looking at every important stuff in my life escaping through my fingers, and I could do nothing about it. I couldn't tell anyone because people wouldn't care, because I didn't have people to tell. I know now it was crazy, but it felt really real, and hurtful." She explained.

"You told them the Aether took the bonds away." Betty interrupted her.

"Well yeah as I told you, I felt empty, and like there wasn't anyone in my life." Darcy told her making herself stay straighter to keep the tears away. "The bonds, they were all gone."

"It wasn't." Tony assured her. "We never lost you." He said waiting for people around the table to acknowledge it. "It felt like when you're sick, but you were always there."

"You…" She started before looking around her wide eyes. "You didn't feel it?"

"We would have come for you sooner if we did." Tony assured her, once again getting ascent from the table.

"Oh!" She simply exclaimed looking at Thor for help. Steve couldn't help it and took her hand in his on the table, getting her to smile was more important than any secrets people might find out about but no one seemed to pay attention to it.

"The Aether represents reality, it possesses the power to bend the very laws of reality" Thor explained, "Father said it might have bend your vision of the world so you would give yourself to it."

"That sounds about right. I thought about just given in and stop fighting it the night before Jane found it." Darcy explained and Steve did all he could to not diminish what she was trying to do by tugging her against him, get her in his arms to make her forget about it.

"What's with the no touching?" Clint asked, and Steve knew he had been waiting for the answer since that first talk in Coulson's office.

"I don't really know." Darcy said her expression softening. "I am not sure how to explain it."

"Can you try?" Jane asked "Please."

Darcy nodded but took a little time to explain, curling herself against Clint on her other side taking Steve's hand along with her making it stay on her stomach instead of the table, but the people around the table were all focus on her for other things and surely took it as the comfort it was meant for. He took his chair closer to hers so she could lay her legs on his under the table, be more comfortable.

"When Clint is hugging me I feel really good, my bond to him feels really happy." She said trying to hide out in his collarbone. "It's ridiculous."

"No it's not." Jane told her. "I saw what the bonds can do to you, I remember finding you crying from pain after meeting Coulson. You're allowed to enjoy happy parts too."

"It's not just that. Not that I am not happy to be with all of you here too but when you touched me it just felt bad, like if you shouldn't be doing it. It didn't feel painful not really more like…" She stopped looking for the right explanation. "You remember that ugly knitwear Donald left and we shared that time when we ended up freezing out in the broken van in the desert?"

Jane nodded blushing. "It was so scratchy we throw it away as soon as we came back to town."

"Feels the same when someone is touching me." Darcy told them and Steve got his hands away from her. "Not you." She whispered to him putting his hands back on her.

"Are you still feeling like that?" Bruce asked.

"No not really, I guess I just rather not touch anyone and find out if you give me that itchy feeling." Darcy shrugged.

"I think I have an idea that might help." Steve suggested "After dinner." He said facing the outgoing stares from everyone.

The rest of dinner was more conventional, at least for them, Bruce Jane and Tony ended up sitting closer talking about science, Betty got to talk to Thor asking him more questions about Asgard medicine, Steve and Clint still holding on to Darcy as Pepper and her were trying to decide who Darcy was going to donate her pony to. Nat overseeing everything and everyone.

Later in the evening they all went to the new multimedia room for their traditional Disney Sunday Night movie, according to Nat they should just skip the next movie or Clint would be insufferable for a week but Steve didn't see what a movie called 'Brave' could have to do with Clint. Plus he had other plans for the night or at least for the first part of it.

"We need to watch something else. Something Darcy would be able to follow without watching it." He told them enigmatically.

"So anything with a lot of singing then?" Pepper suggested.

"Or one I don't really like" Darcy told them.

"There is one Disney you don't really like?" Tony asked her as horrified as if she had just told him she didn't like Iron Man.

"Not a big fan of 'The Incredible' all those dead super-heroes in the cave, and the cape thing. Bew." She said faking a big shudder.

"We definitely need to show Thor the cape part of it." Tony cried out at the same time Jane did.

"Later." Steve told them, he still had a plan to see through.

"I guess we can go with 'Beauty and the Beast' I know it by heart and there is a lot of singing for me to have fun with." Darcy settled.

Everyone went to get snacks, popcorn, candies, they just got out of dinner but better bring them on and not eat them than have to move to get them later and miss parts of the movie, or at least that's what Darcy had explained a long time ago. Pepper had ruled out any sodas or coffee from the list of considered drinks to avoid staying up all night, which led to her and Nat making hot Chocolate for everyone. They also all went to change, and even though he had left his night clothes at Darcy's he went to his floor putting on sweats and a shirt for the movie and retrieving the item he needed to help Darcy from his drawer.

"So what's the plan Cap?" Darcy asked hopeful.

"You're going to sit…" He said moving the couch cushions around so they were in the middle of the room "Here" than he put throw cushions and pillows all around her making it so there was enough space for everyone. But he stopped Bruce when he was about to sit down next to her. "Not yet."

He got the piece of silk he had put in his pocket handing it to Darcy but keeping her hand in his so she wouldn't be able to see what it was until he let her do it. He kneeled in front of her brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"Do you trust me?" Steve asked her, and watch as she nodded enthusiastically. "You know that I will always make sure you're safe, and not do anything to hurt you?"

"I know." She said and Steve looked around him as everyone were eyeing them with perplexity.

Steve took his hand out of hers putting it on her thigh while she considered what he had given her, examining the piece of silk looking at him than at everyone around them, stopping on Clint who sat down next to them.

"I don't know what the plan is but I am pretty sure no one here wants you to be uncomfortable so you can just say no, or stop the experience whenever you want." Clint told her looking at Steve who confirmed immediately.

"Okay do it." She said to Steve handing him the object back. He stood up around her, looking as Clint, who had finally seen what was going on was smiling at her, and put the silky blindfold on her making sure it wasn't tided too tight, ignoring the different reaction from his team mates and other friends.

"Captain America is kinky, who knew?" Tony said, and honestly Steve would have played with it easily if it had been about him, but it was more important than that.

"Training equipment for the shield, I am pretty sure Nat, Thor and Clint use something similar when they do training on throwing knife or Mjolnir, or with the bow." Steve explained and Thor, Nat and Clint nodded.

"So what's the plan?" Pepper asked looking uncomfortable.

"Easy we all sit around her like Bruce was about to do, to watch the movie, no one says who is who, so no one talk, and everyone acts like we usually do on movie night, meaning touching, cuddling and other thing." Steve says inviting them to sit down.

"I really don't see the point of it." Jane said.

"Well the hypothesis is that whatever has been blocking her is psychological so we get to touch her but she doesn't know who is doing it she won't anticipate and get scared or get itchy." Betty suggested and Steve confirmed.

"For all she knows it could always be Clint and…" Nat raised an eyebrow "Apparently Steve, touching her."

"Isn't that a little extreme? After the Adrenaline Drop? We could leave her in peace for a while, it's not like we have to constantly touch her" Pepper suggested.

"I want to do it, 'beauty and the Beast" will distract me and help ease the nervousness. It's a really good plan." Darcy confirmed making Steve sigh in relief.

"But…" Pepper started but Darcy stopped her.

"I don't want people to walk around me as if I was breakable." Darcy told her firmly putting a stop to Pepper's arguing.

To be honest, he understood Pepper's concern, because it was only coming from Pepper now, Jane had only looked at them when the drop had been mentioned but took her place on the cushions, she trusted them to handle it, to keep Darcy safe, and if she ended up dropping again Steve and Clint would take care of her. But that part only concerned them not the other residents. Tony called out for JARVIS to queue up the movie and they all sat down around her.


	29. Some things need to be heard

**Some things need to be heard.**

Everything went as Steve had planned, Darcy got distracted by the movie, never really knowing who was touching her, at first no one was daring touching her anyway, not even Steve or Clint but Darcy made a joke comparing Belle's father to Tony and everyone relaxed.

Someone braided the tail end of her hair, she was pretty sure it had been Pepper. Instead of touching her Tony took her hand and made her touch the place in his chest where the Arc Reactor used to be, she hadn't even realized it would be gone now. Bruce and Betty both took her hand when Belle was trying to escape the castle and met the wolves.

At some point, when Gaston started singing how strong he was, Thor decided that he needed to show he could hold both Jane and Darcy one in each arms while they were laughing holding on to each other. Tasha waited until the end of the movie, until they had decided to go for another one, until Clint had decided that he had stayed away from Darcy long enough, that's when she just hold on to her ankle as she had done that first night after Vegas, the right ankle the one that had to be broken for the bond to appear.

But their night was far from over.

After 'Beauty and the Beast' no one was really ready to go to sleep, Darcy let Clint take the blindfold away as he laid down next to her gathering her close to him so she would rest in his arms. She put her head on his shoulder, letting his arm rest on her waist, legs intertwined, Steve watched smiling shyly as she let her finger run against Clint's neck visibly resisting the urge to kiss the part she could get to.

As 'The Incredible' went on, people started to leave, Thor and Jane first, just after Edna explained why Thor shouldn't wear a cape, Jane holding on to Darcy's hand tightly wishing her good night, Pepper forced Tony out of the room before Mister Incredible fell into the water ending up in the cave with all the dead super-heroes, better not have PTSD over Disney's, Bruce and Betty followed soon Bruce needing to get up early in the morning for a consult with SHIELD.

Nat stayed, silent for a long while, watching with a weird stare as Darcy molded herself into Clint's body.

"Did you meet Sophia from HR?" She finally asked Steve.

"Nat! We talked about this." He sighed heavily, he knew now Darcy had started this without meaning to but he was tired of Nat constant probing in his private life.

"We did." Nat told him. "But I'll keep doing it anyway."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because of them." She told him pointing out Clint and Darcy who were both fake sleeping next to them, hoping she would go to sleep.

"What about them?" Steve curiously asked.

"You're always watching them. You know when we first got here after the Chitauri attack, I told you their PDA thing was normal **_for them_** because you looked like they were something you never saw before, and I thought it was because people from your time reserved that type of behavior for the privacy of their rooms." Nat started to explain.

"I really don't know where you're going with that." Steve admitted.

"I didn't know you then, not even the fantasy Captain America from the history books or comics, not really the kind of things Red Room taught us about the USA." She continued.

"And what do you think now?" He wondered.

"It's longing, I think we all missed out on you grief, I think we failed to see how much you had lost, I think you had someone waiting for you to come home after the war and seeing them as they are reminds you of it every time." Nat told him. "It's been almost a year, Cap, you need to move on."

"And you think throwing SHIELD's female agent at me is going to help?" Steve asked knowing he sounded pained.

"Maybe not, but at least I know them, many SHIELD agents are unmarked, or chose to stay platonic with civilian bonds, some of them lost their bonded partners in action. You could actually build something with one of them, instead of going out into the world and find someone who would just be with you until they found their bonded partners." Nat finished her explanation.

"So I should settle for the easiest thing." Steve probed hoping that Darcy who started shimmering wouldn't fake wake up to make them stop.

"See that's why you should stop looking at them. I think we should all stop. You're not the only one watching them as if they were unicorns riding the rainbow bridge." Nat said and Steve muffled a laugh as to not wake them up.

"Unicorns really?" Steve retoured.

"In all those books and Romantic Comedies based on Bond Eternal Love, the guy is always with someone already and the woman is looking for her one true love, as soon as they meet there is fireworks and the Earth stills on its course, birds are singing, and they live happily ever after." Nat said. "It how it's supposed to happen."

"What makes them unicorns than if it's how it's supposed to happen?" Steve asked curious.

"You know I always say 'Love is for Children', well they were children when they fell in love, not that any of those idiots will admit it to the other ever…" Tasha said and Steve saw Clint's muscle twitch holding Darcy a little tighter not moving so Nat wouldn't know they were listening but putting more pressure on the hold he already had on her. "They share a bond but it's not what will eventually get them together, I think they would have fallen for each other even without it."

"What is it then?" Steve inquired enthusiastically.

"She never questioned who he was, what he had done, never stopped to wonder if he was a good man, I am not even sure she would care, she believes in him and would do anything for him." Nat explained.

"What about him?" Steve asked.

"He would go to the end of the world to protect her, in fact he did several times, and he broke so many SHIELD's rules to keep her out of their records I wondered for a long time how he never get caught before I found out Fury was in on it. Phil and I, we considered leaving her alone, especially after Mojave, but for Clint it was never an option even if he had to watch from afar for the rest of his life he would never have left her." Nat told him.

"Unicorns sounds really cool." Steve whispered, hoping they would get that he was talking to them not to her.

"But they don't exist and you can't keep playing along with whatever Friendship Chicken game you three have going on, it's okay to need to feel like you're part of something, it's okay to want to be a unicorn too, I think every person in this tower has thought about it, but at some point they are going to get their head out of their ass and get together and you'll be left alone again, no more cuddling pile, no more trusting games, it will be all theirs, Steve." Nat added. "I just want you to be happy."

"Thank you Nat" Steve told her, knowing she meant well, hoping she would still get it when she get to learn the truth, that she would support them the same way she did with his unicorns.

"So Sophia from HR? I could introduce you when we get back to the Triskelion." Nat got back to.

"Nat!" Steve groaned.

"I'm not giving up Cap." She said getting up and out of the room.

"JARVIS lock us in please." Darcy asked, immediately looking up at Steve.

 _Off course Darcy._

"You're okay?" She asked him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Steve answered trying to reassure her.

"Because he isn't." She said hugging Clint tighter against her.

"Clint" Steve said laying himself against his partner. "What's wrong?"

Clint didn't answer immediately he felt tense under Steve's hands as he got them to trace patterns on his side while settling down next to him, getting his hands around his wait to hold Clint's back to his front so they could both face Darcy. Clint felt like the only thing preventing him from crumbling was his taut muscles. Steve watched as Darcy put her hand on one of his cheeks thumbs wiping away stray tears.

"What if she's right?" Clint finally told them after a few minutes, relaxing to their caresses.

"Was she?" Steve asked not really knowing what he was asking for.

"Unicorns can be whatever we want them to be. I saw the Rainbow Bridge, it's big enough for three unicorns." Darcy joked.

"Darce!" Clint groaned but finally relaxed completely between them. Steve slid his hand under Clint's shirt rubbing gentle fingers against his abs letting his thumb catch with Darcy's ribs with each touches.

"What? Why would Tasha be right? She doesn't even know the all story. I never saw Steve watching any of us with longing." She told them. "So clearly he isn't built to be a spy if everyone saw him looking at us but that's another problem." She joked some more.

"She is right." Steve said and Darcy stopped breathing under his fingers. "Not Nat! You, Darce."

"Oh! Yeah of course I am right! I am always right!" she affirmed. "What am I right about exactly though?" She asked.

"The first time Nat caught me gazing I couldn't tell her why, I didn't even know any of you and it was crazy, she thought I was concerned about your behavior, or apparently I was grieving and longing for someone else." Steve started.

"But you were obviously not because we are awesome unicorns." Darcy told him nodding enthusiastically against Clint collarbone.

"No I was not." Steve agreed chuckling. "The truth is that I was watching Clint playing with your hair and I couldn't decide if I rather be the one playing with your hair or the one having my hair played with by Clint." He admitted, thankful for the darkness of the room as he was blushing badly, hiding his face between Clint's shoulder blades anyway.

"That sounds like an impossible dilemma, you're right the best way to solve this was totally to play with my hair while he was playing with yours." Darcy told him.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Clint asked.

"Nope, people who let others opinion influence them don't get a say." Darcy told him playfully. "Unless it's to tell us what's wrong." Darcy probed poking delicate fingers against his ribs.

"I didn't let her influence anything, I already knew what an idiot I was I just didn't know she thought that about us." Clint told her. "And I didn't know if you two would still be up for this after listening to her." He admitted.

"Do I look like I have a problem with any of it?" Steve told him tugging the both of them closer to him, peppering Clint's neck with little kisses.

"Hey!" Darcy said taking Clint's face between her hands to make him look at her, "I've known what an idiot I was with you since I was 15…" Darcy told him putting a tender kiss on his lips "and I definitely want to know what kind of idiots you and I can be." She added untwining her fingers to Steve's.

"I think I preferred the Unicorns reference." Steve said getting her hand to his mouth to kiss her fingers making her laugh breathlessly.

"We should get down to our room." Darcy said and Steve instinctively gripped them a little tighter against himself. Not really because he didn't want to stop touching the both of them even though it was totally true, but because Nat was right Darcy never did anything halfheartedly, she had decided to give them a shot and she was all in, no questions asked, no half steps.

"Darcy baby, you can't tell him things like that, he is 95 years old." Clint joked and Steve released them with a chuckle.

"What did I say?" Darcy asked looking genuinely confused now that JARVIS had turned the screen off and little lights on to help them get to the door.

"Nothing don't listen to him." Steve defended.

"You're really confusing." Darcy said getting up and away from them.

"You said 'our room'" Steve admitted groaning in his hands to hide his blush.

"Well yeah! I thought the plan was for us to spend the night together." She said looking at them like they were puzzle she needed to decipher while Clint now up was tugging on Steve's hands to get him up too.

"It is." Steve said following them out of the room, holding on to Darcy after kissing her forehead hoping she would stop asking questions.

 _Captain Rogers, your request is ready and waiting from you._

"Thank you JARVIS." Steve sighed glad for the AI interruption.

"Did you plan something special?" Darcy asked wide eyes teeth playing nervously with her bottom lip.

"I thought about missed showers, and enjoying time with the both of you." Steve told her.

"Oh! That sounds nice. Can 3 people fit into our shower?" Darcy asked shivering under his fingers as he guided her to the elevator which was, thanks to JARVIS, already waiting for them.

"You haven't seen the bathroom yet, have you?" Clint asked grabbing them to get them both in the cart, leaning down to kiss Darcy who was now between the both of them, Steve slipping his fingers under the hem of her top to slide it off her.

"Why does he know the plan and I don't?" Darcy asked Steve leaning against him as he got her top of her as soon as Clint let go of her lips.

"Because it was his idea." Steve told her, takings the strap of her bra out of the way of Clint kisses on her collarbone.

"I think I have a better one." Clint informed them. "JARVIS don't open the doors." He told the AI when the elevator stopped on what was apparently 'their' floor.

"What? Why?" Darcy said sounding frustrated that he would stop kissing her.

"Would you put it back on?" Clint asked her holding out the blindfold Steve didn't even know he had kept with him.

Darcy took a couple of seconds to look between the two of them before nodding excitingly. Clint handed Steve the silky piece of fabric for him to tide it on her once again.


	30. Some things need to be touched

**Some things need to be touched.**

"Wait!" Darcy said when Steve started to put her hair away to tide the blindfold back kissing lightly at the nape of her hair.

"You changed your mind?" Clint asked, getting his hands off her.

"Nope." She said taking his hands and putting them back on her waist, turning around to face Steve. "There is just one thing I've been waiting to do for the past 6 months."

"What's that?" Steve asked her, grinning, getting his fingers intertwined with Clint's over her ribs. Darcy let her hands play with the collar of his shirt tugging in so he would lean in.

"I didn't get to kiss you yet." She told him getting herself higher, she would have to almost stand on her toes but with the two of them holding her she still felt safe to do it.

Steve leaned down, getting to her so she wouldn't have to stand up too high. "I thought you'd never ask." He whispered against her lips.

Clint had told her his first kiss with Steve had been passionate, and hers with Clint had been tender, kissing Steve though, this was different and not only because she had four hands roaming her body.

Steve was vibrating with want under her hands, he took his time, his breath a warm ghost on her skin, his tongue darting to lick her upper lip, coaxing them open, she was whimpering and he hadn't even touch his lips to hers yet. Steve let out a long exhale, but still didn't touch her. She could feel his hands brushing the underside of her breast, letting them trail down fingertips only grazing her burning skin. Clint was pushing her hair away kissing along her shoulder. When Steve's hands got around her hips he prompt her to let herself be raise, to get her legs around his waist so they could be at a more even level. Darcy moaned when Clint started to kiss down her spine, Steve taking advantage of his partner perfect distraction to finally cover her needy lips with his.

It was only a light caress at first Darcy lost in the sensation of the two of them surrounding her, a light touch of soft plump velvety lips, even that late into the night his chin didn't have a stubble and she took a second to regret not feeling its rash on her jaw. Second over, she wanted to speed up the process but even though she had started this to kiss Steve, leaning into Clint's touches was tempting as the man undid her bra, caressing her arms from her shoulder to the tip of her fingers to get it out of the way without forcing Steve to stop kissing her. And that he was doing, stealing her breath away with gentle push of his tongue behind her lips stoking her teeth briefly until he gained access to what he really wanted entwining their tongues together holding her tight against him.

Clint pushed her hair gently with his nose, brushing it behind her ears before kissing and sucking on her pulsing point getting her to release a long rough whine getting her lips away from Steve's long enough for Clint to start kissing their super-soldier boyfriend. Darcy tugged lightly on the archer hair raising an eyebrow questioningly, 'did he really just stole her kiss?' but Clint made a quick work of getting himself forgiven by guiding her to him so he could kiss her deeply, she could feel the desperation, the need of each brush of tongue. When he got his baring back taking a deep breath his forehead leaned on her shoulder he lifted hooded eyes with wide black pupils to her and Darcy nodded, watching as Steve gave the blindfold back to Clint now that he was the one to be at her back.

Darcy felt more than heard the door of the elevator being opened, they had heated up the cart and a breeze coming from their floor made her shiver, she let herself fall back onto the floor not that she didn't like staying in Steve's arms but without seeing where they were leading her she liked the idea of at least feeling the floor under her feet. The all place scented of Lilies and orange flowers. She felt herself relaxing even more against them.

"You run me a bath?" Darcy asked trying hard to not sound disappointed at the ideas of not getting skin contact with them if she was alone in the bathtub.

"Not just for you, it's for all of us. One of the perks of leaving with Tony." Steve whispered into her ear.

She shivered at the thought, listening to scraps of clothing being brushed off skins as they walk, the boys always each keeping at least one hand on her, kissing parts of her as they walked toward the bathroom.

"Stand still for a minute baby." Clint told her letting his hands get down to her PJ pants, the both of them kissing her legs trailing along the descent of the fabric making her believe they must have been kneeling down before her.

"I think you forgot an important part of clothing" Steve whispered to her ear getting behind her again.

"I didn't think you would mind." She teased trying to control her shiver, JARVIS had obviously turned the heat up because the entire floor felt warm and welcoming, her shiver only came from the tickle of their breath.

Clint took her hands and guide her for a couple of steps before releasing one hand turning her toward him.

"Steve is going to lift you, I'll guide your feet into the water. It's hot but in a nice way." He explained. The both of them waiting for her to nod her ascent before Steve put his hands back on her hips and lift her a few feet up, Clint taking hold of her ankles gently rubbing his thumbs on her shin until his hands were in the water, he trailed up her legs staying ever slightly above water level as she let herself get lowered into the bath.

The bathtub was deep, probably more Jacuzzi like than a real bathtub, she sat herself and the water went up to her chin, she hesitated wanting to dip her hair into the water but not sure the blindfold would still be comfortable to wear wet.

"Could you take it off for a minute?" Darcy asked getting her hand near the fabric.

"We can do without it if you want." Steve suggested.

"No I want to wear it it's just…" She wondered how to explain. "It's a woman thing." She said chuckling "If my hair is only half wet it's going to tire my neck I need to dip it down."

"I am sure we can arrange something about that." Steve told her sitting down behind her, while Clint took a place between her legs facing her easily, tugging on the blindfolds.

Darcy kept her eyes closed without prompting, even behind her eyelids she could tell that the light were dimmed probably from candles but since none of them had left her since movie night started they must be electric controlled by JARVIS. Steve brushed her hair out of her face before she felt water dripping down the side of her head over her ear down her neck, than again on the length of her hair, she was tempted to peak, she wanted to know how they arranged to do that but it felt too good to interrupt them.

"We should wash your hair, getting them wet like that can't be good." Steve said.

"I'll do it tomorrow, I like the scent of the bath don't want to mess it up." She told him.

"I want to do it." Steve breathed out.

"Then you'll do it, just not now." She offered. "I don't know how long I could resist not opening my eyes, I'd like the blindfold back on, please." She requested politely, and Clint chuckled putting it back on, she used the proximity of his face to kiss him missing his lips only kissing the corner of it, but he got her message loud and clear, pushing her back gently against Steve who run his fingers on her sides while Clint started to kiss the living breath out of her.

"Someone is getting really into this bath." She said grinning, grinding herself on Steve's laps, his hard erection pressed against the small of her back, she giggled when she got a groan out of him, his hand settling on her hips to steady her.

"Not tonight, Darce." He told her, and Clint whined a little but nodded his head as it rested on her shoulder. She didn't say a single thing, they had a plan and she would let them play it out, she was enjoying it after all.

Steve laced his finger to hers, getting their hands to his lips to kiss her fingers than stretching out her arm letting her fingers go, but she left her arm as it had been placed, both because she wanted to and because Clint started to do the same on her other side. Clint and Steve simultaneously scrubbed a soft washcloth between her fingers, following the line of her arms to her elbows, getting slowly up to her shoulders, kissing every parcel of skin they had just wash tantalizingly. Their team work was getting to her head, not knowing which one would kiss her, or wash higher, whose hand was on her hip, whose fingertip was caressing her back.

"Turn around." Clint told her, helping her settle herself straddling Steve who didn't miss a beat and started to kiss her deeply as soon as she faced him. Clint on his part started to wash her back, the delicate fabric barely touching her skin anymore, his tongue darting to taste her skin longer with each kiss. Steve swallowing her moans eagerly.

"JARVIS please rise up the heat Darcy is going to get out of the water temporarily." Steve asked and waited a few minutes to be sure the room would be warm enough for what they meant to do.

Clint guided her back to lean on his front, turning her head gently with light fingers so he could take his turn kissing her, trying his best to distract her from Steve gently washing her front. He was trying not to spend too long on his task but didn't resist to the temptation, he started licking and nipping her breast, his teeth catching her nipple briefly, making her arch her back away from Clint to follow his mouth.

"That's not Fair play." Darcy whined when he stopped.

"We never said we would play fair." Clint whispered helping Steve get her out of the water, sitting her on the edge of bathtub. The room was warm enough now she didn't feel cold at all, but it might also be due to her to naughty boys.

Steve and Clint each took one ankle in hand and started to wash her legs the same way they did with her arms, with light rub of washcloth and fingers followed by kisses. She was feeling light headed, gripping the edge of the tub to stay up right, waiting patiently for them to get her back into the water, to stop touching her, even though she didn't want them to, the all night had been about touches and caress and it was an addicting feeling to get lost into it when it came from them, her mind waiting unconsciously for the next contact they would offer her, making her whine whenever she couldn't feel them on her skin anymore, whimper with each kiss, moan to every caress.

"We are not getting you back in the water" Steve told her "I am going to get out and get towels to dry you." He explained and she felt the brush of air on her side where he got out of the bath. Clint keeping both hands on her thighs, slipping in between her legs to pepper kisses on her stomach while they were waiting.

Steve was quick to find what he was looking for, Clint pressing her to lean back on the other man as the Soldier got the blindfold away again to pad a towel on her hair, drying as much as he could. Darcy felt as Clint got himself out of the water too. Both of her men starting to rub towels on her skin as quickly as they could so she wouldn't get cold.

"What now?" Darcy finally asked after a few minutes.

"Now we are going to go to sleep." Steve told her.

"Argh! Not really what I am in the mood for now." Darcy joked.

"No of us really are, but we are still going to bed, cuddle and kiss and make out for a while but sleep is the goal here." Clint explained.

"You guys are weird. I know you don't want to sleep, kept poking me with your not sleeping interest." Darcy lamented.

"We also want you to actually not be sleep deprived when we get to that." Steve added. "We're not rushing this just because we're finally able to spend some time together."

"Okay." She said fake pouting, making them laugh. In fact she really liked that idea, she had loved every part of the night, and every interaction they shared before that, if they were okay with buildup sexual tension than she was fine with it too as long as she could get to snuggle against them to sleep and wake up to the men she loved.

"Steve is sleeping in the middle." Clint said as if to remind their partner of it not to inform her.

"Hum… I can live with that." She said making both of them chuckle, following them to the bedroom.


	31. Some Things (don't) need to be tasted

**Some Things (don't) need to be tasted.**

Clint woke up to Darcy bouncing on the bed.

"I can't do it anymore." She told him with an exaggerated whine. He grabbed her hugging her tightly so he could nuzzle her neck.

"He likes doing it and it makes him happy, let the man take care of us." He mumbled leaving butterfly kisses along her neck making her giggle.

"I like sex, it would make me happy, and it's a fun way to take care of each other, but it's not happening either. Everyone has to make sacrifices. I didn't get a say about mine I think it's fair he doesn't get to choose his either." She said pouting hoping to get him to agree.

Clint tried not to laugh, no really he tried, but she was way too cute, curled up in his arms, pouting, like she did that one time Pepper told her she couldn't drink coffee on movie night, because they were trying to build something before they get to have sex.

Or mostly because Steve had finally admitted that for all his nice speeches on polyamory he had never been in a polyamorous relationship before. He had been sheepish when he admitted that 'No' he wasn't a virgin with either sex (apparently the USO tour didn't only attract lonely women to see Captain America's spangle ass) and that 'Yes' when Clint asked if he had experiences on the subject he might have told him that he had experience 'talking' about it with Bucky and Peggy, since it was what Clint asked about, never said they had the opportunity to get further than that, there was a war to fight, restriction on the time they could decently spend alone with Peggy whenever they were in the same country, and that it was what he had told Darcy when she had asked what it was like to be with Peggy and Bucky when they were talking about getting together.

And a lot of other things Clint didn't really listen to. Strangely enough all Darcy and Clint seemed willing to remember was the part where Steve only got to exchange furtive, stolen kisses with Peggy and Bucky.

"Hey, you two!" Steve told them leaning against the door. "Breakfast is ready."

"No!" Darcy said suddenly.

"Why not?" Steve asked and Clint wanted to hide himself under the cover, Darcy was going to tell him, she had been complaining about it every other day for 2 weeks no way they could delay it anymore.

"Steve, I love you. I really, really do love you, and not because of all the muscles and all..." She started and Clint had to look back up, his eyes going back and forth between Darcy who had never told them that before, and Steve who seemed to be melting into the door. "I can't eat any more of your breakfast disaster please don't make me." She pleaded.

It was good tactic though, Steve had totally forgotten about breakfast, getting his ass on the bed with them, loaming over a nervously giggling Darcy, who was sinking into the mattress but not trying to roll away from Steve intense gaze at all.

"I am curious then, if not for my muscle, or my breakfast, why would you love me?" Steve asked her eyes fixed on hers, dark blown pupils almost making the baby-blue of his irises disappear. He had a hand on her hip pinning her effectively to the bed hovering a few inches above her, his other hand searching Clint's under the pillow.

"I..." Darcy tried, voice low, cheeks redden looking flustered. Clint had to admit they were beautiful. Every feature of their faces reflecting happiness, joy, want. Darcy looked confused for a moment making a face her nose wrinkling, she shook herself out of it pushing Steve away. "I don't know." She admitted getting out of the bed.

"Darce." Clint called after her, leaning in to give a quick good morning kiss to Steve before following her. "You're coming with me! It's too early to make this twice." He said coming back to force Steve out of the bed when the man didn't follow on his own.

"Darcy?" Clint asked crouching down in front of the couch where she had proceed to disappear under all the quilts and covers they had left there the night before.

"I'm sorry." She said looking at Steve who was standing there still shocked.

"I have a question for you." Clint told her, he knew it was going to take away something he had been waiting for, for a long time, but for once he didn't really care. "Why do you love me?" He asked her, they already knew they loved each other, had a silent agreement not to tell it to each other until they were ready to tell it to Steve didn't mean they couldn't feel it through the bond.

"Stop asking me that." Darcy said curling herself further into the couch.

"Why? Because you can't explain it?" Clint instead and she nodded. "Do you want to know what I think?" She looked terrified for a second but she must have felt something or read something on his face, maybe just his smile because she nodded enthusiastically. "I think it's a good thing that we can't tell Steve why we love him. I've never been able to decide why I was in love with you and part of me thought it was because of the bond that I just couldn't help it because it was already there." He said watched carefully as Steve sat down next to him taking his hand in his. "But loving Steve the same way, it's the best thing that could have happened to the three of us, I don't need a reason, I would probably never be able to give any of you one anyway. I just feel it."

He tugged Steve closer to him to lay an innocent kiss on his lips. "I love you." He simply said before turning toward Darcy, getting the covers away to reveal her and gave her the same kiss. "I love you." he said and stood up to get to the kitchen. "And sorry but that abomination as to go." he said gesturing to the plates of breakfast Steve had prepared for them.

"Did he...?" Darcy mocked whispered.

"Oh yeah he totally out grown us." Steve said chuckling.

Clint observed them from the counter rolling his eyes at their antics, sure he was the one who had the most doubts about the all situation but often enough he also had the best perspective on how to deal with new things, he had more experience with relationship, even if he usually screwed them up spectacularly.

"I don't want to take his big moment away from him." Steve said looking at her with bright teary eyes and she was all too happy to agree.

"Come on he'll make us Pop Tarts." Darcy said getting up, leading Steve toward the kitchen.

"You're serious now?" Clint asked confused, and a little baffled, 'where they really planning on not saying it to each other anymore just so he would have a special moment?'

"You really want us to say 'I love you' to you or to each other right now just because you said it? Or you want to wait and hear it in a special moment? Because sure we feel it never doubt it..." She said looking up at Steve who nodded resolutely. "Yep totally feel it, but personally I am waiting for the next time you fall off a building, I want to do that 'Slap you/Kiss you' scene from movies, then tell you 'I love you and I'll kill you if you ever died'. It would be so dramatic I can't wait." She explained grinning wickedly jumping to sit herself on the counter to watch them work on a new Breakfast.

"Darn it woman! I wanted to do that! You always steal my best ideas." Steve said kissing her eagerly.

"I change my mind I don't love either of you." Clint said getting the box of Pop Tarts out trying to ignore them while hiding the big smile he knew was plastered on his face.

They had plans, no not that kind of plans, he couldn't care less about the plans the rest of the Avengers were trying to come up with. Darcy had been cooking all afternoon, chasing Steve and Clint out of the kitchen, and he was still drooling at the smell of the Basil and Citrus chicken that was cooking when the alarm went on, his mind kept going back to the taste of chocolate and hazelnut from the mixer she let him lick as long as he shared with Steve. And that he did, who knew childish behavior could led to requiring cold shower before they went into battle? Really now was not the time to remember the way Steve had wrap his tongue around his thumbs to lick the last remains of the batter of his fingers.

"Focus Barton!" He told to himself but heard Steve chuckle on the line.

No really they had plan, but at the same time they should have seen that coming. Not the brightest moment of the New York Super Hero Community, of course Doom would try and invade the city on Valentine's Day is sole purpose in life was to ruin the Richards' life.

Tasha would probably kill him if she caught him thinking that but it was a pretty nice Bromance battle, he would enjoy it better if he didn't long for that Valentine's Day dinner, but Tasha wasn't in the city and the Fantastic Four had left a pregnant Susan with Alicia at the Avengers Tower, so this had turned into pissing contest of some sort but hey, soon they'll sent Doom back to Latveria and Hulk and the Thing might be able to settle their 'I can through my blond super hero further than you can do with yours' on a safer environment because Thor and Tony were having way too much fun catching the Spangle twins for it not to become a thing.

Doom back into SHIELD custody Clint started to re-evaluate his life choices, it was 11:30 pm, if they left now they could be back in time to celebrate with Darcy, because no matter what she had told them about not really caring, she cared, and even if she really didn't Clint knew Steve had drawn her and frame his artwork for her to hang in her office, and he, himself, had managed to find her a necklace to match Tasha's only upping up a bit, made it himself for one, with Asgardian metal that Thor has happily provided him with after Clint had explained what it was meant for. Explaining Valentine's Day to Thor had been fun too.

They finally got back to the Towers, Johnny gone to find someone he had pretended was 'a woman he hadn't met yet but the night wasn't over', but really he had the same 'she's going to make me pay for this' look they kind of all had. JARVIS was nice enough to inform them that their partners were all on the common floor, Clint and Steve leaned against the elevator back wall, shoulder brushing fingers intertwined hidden behind the shield, it was also their Valentine's Day but at least they had been able to spend it together in a twisted way. He knew Steve shared his opinion on this, they had already spend Christmas without her, with Tony's situation to top it all, and now this, they wanted to show her they could have some form of normalcy too.

This great plan, of showing their girl dating super-heroes didn't meant never sharing special occasion with them wasn't going to play out tonight though, when they got out of the elevator the women of their lives were all there, the news of the battle on the wall screen, every single one of them deeply asleep. They were cute though, Pepper had Darcy's head on her lap, a hand lost in her hair, her own head pillowed on her arm against the arm couch, Jane was curl up against Darcy, spooning her, Betty must have meant to check on Susan because she had hand resting on her belly, as the pregnant Invisible women, was surrounded by what looked like to be every single cushion and pillows of the tower, Alicia had found a place between the nest, the pillow created, and the couch.

"Do we wake them up?" Clint whispered.

"Do you want to die?" Tony asked in a similar low voice.

"Aren't they going to kill us just the same if we go to bed without them?" Bruce supplied.

"It's debatable." Reed offered.

"We could also go sleep near them and maybe save our lives." Steve said.

Really they just saved the city and defeated the entire Doom army but they were scared to wake 6 women.

"Come on just grab yours and go to bed." Ben told them, but still took a step away when Alicia moved in her sleep as he approached.

On second thoughts those women were terrifying, Steve was the smartest one.

"I am with Cap on this one." Tony said grabbing some covers and the bean chair settling himself in front of Pepper. "JARVIS, please order like a fuck-tone of roses enough to cover everything here for Breakfast pleased."

Clint thought he spotted Reed trying to smirk but one look at Susan and he seemed to decide it was the good call, asking where they could find linen and maybe yoga mattresses to lay near their loved ones instead of the remaining couches. Looks like they wouldn't get that dinner, or even alone time together after all, they'll try again on St Patrick's Day Steve was Irish after all.

Well at least the Chocolate, JARVIS had been nice enough to order on their behalves while they were in the battle and which covered the coffee table, the Strawberries special, Thor had ordered for Jane far away from Pepper, where not half bad, or at least it was the general consensus as the famished men ate every last one of them, pleading for the AI to add more of it with the flower order.


	32. To serve and Protect

Notes: So I wrote this when Darcy came back from London originaly before they got into the renuion diner... But I felt like it was not the time to put it in except it has stuff I want to put into the story, they are important for the rest of it and TWS is approaching so it had to be posted somewhere... Look at it as a "somewhere in the time line" kind of thing not necessarely related to either what happened in the previous chapter or in the next one.

 **To serve and Protect.**

"Hum…" Darcy said looking up from her files to the door once again. "JARVIS, where is Tasha? We had a meeting at 11."

 _Agent Romanoff is still debriefing the Strike Team Officers about the Tower security. Would you like for me to remind her of her appointment?_

"No, it's just papers to sign." Darcy sighed pilling up her papers before standing up. "I'll bring them to her, I should meet the team anyway, where are they?"

 _Agents Romanoff, Rollins, and Rumlow are in Common Conference room B._

"What?" Darcy said starring right ahead at the wall, like they all often did when talking to JARVIS.

 _Second room to your left after Sir and Dr Banner common lab._

"Oh! Yeah thank you _J_ " Darcy got out of her office and JARVIS listened has she was humming to herself. "Are the kids playing nice?" She asked stopping by the lab door.

 _Sir and Dr Banner are down in the garage floor._

"That doesn't really answer my question _J_ " She told him.

 _I am well aware._

"If anything goes boom it will be your fault." She stated.

Darcy kept walking but stopped suddenly watching inside the conference room.

 _Darcy, your heart rate is increasing rapidly, you have trouble breathing. I believe you're having a Panic Attack. Please take a deep breath and wait for Dr Ross to come help you._

"No" Darcy shouted, walking away from the conference room her eyes never leaving the door. "Activate lock down on Bruce and Betty."

 _Miss Lewis, I don't think it's necessary, if you please just calm down._

"Protocol Delta Lima 14247-XX-6 pass word: Mew-Mew." Darcy snarled, leaving no possibilities for JARVIS but to obey, before bending down over to empty her stomach in the trash can in the lobby getting on the elevator cart to her floor.

 _Agent Romanoff, Protocol DL6 had been activated please lead your guests out of the restricted floors._

JARVIS might not understand why Darcy had activate her protection protocol but he will follow them anyway until she tells him otherwise.

"JARVIS, is something wrong with her?" Agent Romanoff asked. The protocol specified that no one could talk about Miss Lewis by name in front of outsiders.

 _The elevator on the north sector is waiting for Agents Rollins and Rumlow, It will get them back to their car._

"JARIVS, why are we locked down there?" Sir asked when he heard to distinctive click of the doors lock.

 _Miss Lewis ordered a lock down on Dr Banner and Dr Ross._

"She did what?" Sir cried out.

 _Something appeared to have scared her, she activate protocol DL6 on Dr Banner and Dr Ross._

"Wait! Betty is working you can't lock down the medical floor." Dr Banner told either JARVIS or Tony.

"Yeah! She can do it." Sir sighed putting his head in his hands.

"That's really unsafe." Dr Banner explained.

 _The lock down will be off as soon as Agent Romanoff's guest are out of the Avengers' level. Please wait patiently._

"I don't know what you're referring to." Sir said putting the screwdriver, he was trying to open the door with, back into his back pocket as if JARVIS couldn't see it there.

As promised JARVIS unlocked the garage floor as soon as the two men were out of reach from the Avengers, though the Avengers were still on lock down until Darcy decided to give him her code.

Sir and Dr Banner entered the elevator, not asking for a specific level they knew JARVIS would take them to Darcy. When the doors opened on the young woman's floor, Agent Romanoff and Dr Ross were getting out of the staircase looking at the two men briefly before entering Darcy's loft.

"JARVIS, where is she?" Agent Romanoff asked after they had looked around not finding her.

 _Miss Lewis is…_ JARVIS hesitated, his priority was to keep the young woman safe, and he wasn't sure what had triggered her anxiety, maybe getting this many people near her would only make things worse.

"JARVIS" Sir screamed at him.

 _Miss Lewis is in her bedroom, in the closet._

"You mean…?" Dr Banner started "What the hell happened?"

Agent Romanoff was the first one to open the closet door but Darcy only curled herself up further into the closet staying away from the older woman.

"You can't touch me, they'll know." Darcy whispered trying to get Agent Romanoff to back out of her closet.

"What are you talking about?" Agent Romanoff asked, seating herself between Darcy and the rest of the room.

"I can protect all of you, I'll do it, as long as you don't touch me no one will know, they can test all they want, they won't find anything I promise but you have to stay away." Darcy insisted.

"Darcy, no one is going to test you." Dr Ross sat down to get a better look of the girl, Darcy was curled up on the far wall of the closet hidden under the covers she had stolen from the bed before going into hiding.

"You shouldn't be near me, they can't know you helped me." Darcy told Dr Ross pushing her away. "Why don't you listen to me?" Darcy growled. "You need to go away! Please let me do this for you they can't know it was Tony, they'll hurt him." Tears started to roll on her cheeks.

"Hey! Honey, look I am fine, no one is going to do anything." Sir said sitting down between the two women.

"No!" Darcy cried out pushing them away running to the bathroom lock it behind her. "Go away."

"Darcy, we are not going anywhere, please tell us what's going on." Dr Banner told her knocking lightly on the bathroom door.

"It's going to be okay, you just have to stay away from me so no one will know about the bond. Everyone can change right? It's just safer if no one knows." Darcy started to babble, getting in the tub covering it up with her cover as if she could disappear behind it. "It will be just fine, I can do it, I'll keep them away from you."

"JARVIS, open the door." Sir asked, and in any other situation JARVIS would have obeyed but Sir had written protocols to follow and order in which he should follow them, Darcy wasn't in danger he had no reason to breach the girl's privacy.

"JARVIS, open the door." Miss Potts had joined them as Darcy got into the bathroom but was speaking for the first time. JARVIS opened the door, because it was what his protocols asked of him, but he would rather have not.

Darcy peaked over the covers when the door opened but only Miss Potts, Agent Romanoff and Dr Ross entered the room leaving Dr Banner and Sir to pace outside.

Darcy jumped into Miss Potts embrace, hugging her tight against her.

"I'll protected them." She told the older women not acknowledging the two other persons in the room.

"I know you'll do." Miss Potts said running a soothing hand on Darcy's back.

"I keep everything inside so no one will know." Darcy was now crying generously into Miss Potts shoulder.

"Did something happened with the bonds, Darcy?" Dr Ross asked.

"I should have been more careful." Darcy simply said nodding.

"What did you do?" Agent Romanoff asked her.

"I should have been more careful." Darcy simply said again, "I should read the damn files but it wouldn't be fair, people change, it wasn't their fault." Darcy kept babbling. "Just following orders, it's their work, and I made sure they got nothing out of me, kept everyone safe."

"JARVIS was someone here today?" Agent Romanoff asked him.

 _If I may Agent Romanoff, Miss Lewis was outside the conference room when she activate her protocol._

"The conference room?" Agent Romanoff asked looking between the wall and Darcy. "I was in there with Rollins and Rumlow nothing happened."

Agent Romanoff was too preoccupied to notice, but JARVIS didn't miss Darcy hunching further on herself, tugging the covers closer to her shivering body.

 _Agents Rollins and Rumlow won't be allow on the Avengers floor anymore._

JARVIS wasn't really sure he was allowed to make that kind of call on his own but Darcy took a deep breath and her heart rate started to decrease so he was willing to see the consequences if any were to apply.

"It's their work, you can do that." Darcy protested.

"Oh I am pretty sure if he can't, I can." Miss Potts told her in a firm voice.

"Rollins and Rumlow?" Dr Ross asked, but she didn't wait for anyone to answer. "They used to work for my father, right?" She inquired and JARVIS instantly hacked SHIELD's files to confirm, not that it was needed, Darcy nodding her head discreetly.

"They were at the Mojave Facility." Dr Ross continued, "I asked for them to be transferred because they were flirting with the nurses."

"I never saw them." Agent Romanoff added.

 _They left the facility, two days before you came in._

JARVIS had found the files, Dr Ross had made a request for them to be send away, with a personal note for her father saying that she didn't want them near her volunteers, they had inappropriate behavior toward the personnel and the patients, making them uncomfortable.

"Darcy did they…?" Miss Potts couldn't finish her question but everyone in the room was still waiting for an answer.

"No!" Darcy hissed. "They liked to make jokes about how I would never get out of there, how I should just give in already and show the nice doctors what they wanted to know before they get to less subtle tests, how they couldn't wait to see if they could find out who I was bonded with by all means because the doctors needed the two of us to make it work." She explained and JARVIS was really close to broke some more of his protocols to follow Sir's general path in this kind of situation, destruction.

"Darcy…" Miss Potts started but she was interrupted.

"I needed to protect Tony, he was already being tortured I couldn't let him feel what was happening to me too." She explained and JARVIS wasn't sure anyone ever considered that part of what Miss Lewis was doing for all of them, and considering the surprised step back Agent Romanoff took She might just have realized the same thing.

"Darcy…" Agent Romanoff tried to stop her.

"But not only him, if I gave up on Tony they would have found out about all the others too, Tasha, Phil, Clint." Darcy started to sob again. "Oh God, you can't tell Steve and Clint. They wouldn't care that they were working they were told to push me to show them what was different about me, it was their job to scare me, they didn't touch me, they never touched me." Darcy ranted.

"Strike team is supposed to protect us when we are on mission." Agent Romanoff said, in a way that reminded JARVIS of Sir asking for him to get the Iron Man suit ready, he knew something bad was going to happen if he didn't do it. The Agents were supposed to watch the Avengers' back it would be more dangerous for them to go with a cover they didn't trust and needed to always keep an eye on than not have any covers at all.

"They need to trust them." Darcy stated "Please"

"They are going to ask what happened today." Dr Ross reminded them.

"And no one will tell them." Darcy ordered. "Rollins and Rumlow, they did nothing wrong, I saw SHIELD people do the same kind of Psychologic thing, it's supposed to work before someone gets violent, I just didn't expect to see any of the guards again, but I should have known SHIELD would get some of them on their side, Phil was working for Ross too when he joined, and …" she stopped looking at Agent Romanoff surely to make sure everyone knew where she was going with that logic.

"I'll tell them it was because of the tack gear and the guns, no one is ever armed in here." Agent Romanoff told them getting a chuckle out of Darcy.

"Like you're not wearing a small armory on you right now." The young woman said quirking her eyebrow.

"You activate a protection protocol." Agent Romanoff protested.

"Sure whatever you want to tell yourself." Darcy stated still giggling, her metabolism was back to normal now, her tears had stopped she was calm again.

"So just how much of it are you hiding?" Dr Ross and Agent Romanoff both asked almost at the same time.

 _If I may Agent Barton and Captain Rogers are back at the Tower._

JARVIS might not understand all the human interactions but he had seen Darcy test the bonds and their limits with Dr Foster in secret, cataloguing everything on private servers for them, helping Dr Foster formulate more theories on how Darcy's connection to the Avengers and the Stones could probably be linked to one another and use to keep her friend safe from more 'Aether Event'. If he had to guess, which he never had to do before, she wasn't even aware of half of what her connection to the Tower residents represented.


	33. Some things need to be seen

**Some things need to be seen**

Tony had missed Darcy, it had been 2 months since the last time they were both at the tower at the same time and he wanted to see if she would come spend the day with him at the workshop. They could talk about Buddy's progress, he could show her the new schematics for the suit, or maybe she'd have ideas on what piece of equipment the team could need or talk about schedules, he would even agree to talk about the heart surgery if he could lure her away from the others. He wasn't picky as long as he get to kidnap her, just for a few hours.

When Darcy didn't came up for breakfast on that first morning he decided that she had had enough ups and downs in the last few days to deserve some alone time and went to work, but she had been back home for a while now, he didn't care if it was 6 am on a Saturday, he decided that she could sleep on his couch for all he cared as long as she was where he could keep an eye on her. He went down to her floor but wasn't allowed in, he tried bypassing JARVIS' protocol but nothing worked.

"Let me kidnap her _J_ " Tony sighed trying one last code.

 _I deeply apologies Sir but Miss Lewis' floor is under private lock down, the Delta protocol doesn't allow anyone but Miss Potts to unlock it as long as Miss Lewis isn't in any direct danger._

"Why did you let me program something that stupid?" Tony asked.

 _I can assure you, you had the best intend at the time._

"Fine" Tony said going back to the elevator.

If he couldn't play with Darcy he was going to pester Capsicle until he agreed to test out the new magnetic system he build for the shield.

"Hum." Tony said when the doors of the elevator didn't open immediately.

 _Sorry Sir, Captain Rogers is coming up from his morning run._

"That's okay." Tony said taking a second to decide that he could join Cap on his floor using the stairs it was only one floor down after all.

" _J_ is something wrong with the elevator?" Tony asked when the lift didn't stopped on Steve's floor.

 _Captain Rogers wasn't coming back to his floor._

"Where is he?" Tony was curious now.

 _59_ _th_ _floor._

"59" Tony repeated getting in the cart back to the lab level distracted. "Wait what?" Tony cried out but JARVIS didn't reply. " _J_ , what is Captain Rogers doing on Darcy's floor?"

 _Miss Lewis required his assistance on a personal matter._

"Are they hiding something from me?" Tony asked sceptic.

 _Nothing you should worry about, Sir. Miss Lewis is kept safe and happy as required._

With the aftermath of London, Pepper and Darcy were both too busy to make time for Tony, training with the Avengers to test out the new probes took much of his time and energy too. He needed to tweak some of them, add some power to the 'Widow Bites', maybe an easier command system for the magnets on Steve's wrist, and Clint needed better grappling arrows.

 _Sir, you've been up for 40 hours, Miss Lewis' protocols specify that I have to cut off the power or she'll close off the lab for all of next week._

"Miss Lewis is not the boss of me." Tony mumbled.

 _With all due respect, Sir, Miss Potts says she is._

"Traitor." Tony sighed, shutting off his current project, getting up to empty the coffee pot before programing a new one for the morning.

The lights were off on the common floors but the screen wall was showing a movie lighting the couch section, Tony didn't remember any team building time schedule for the day and people didn't usually use the common areas for personal time, to use Jane's words it was too 'window-y', the Avengers' floors were made of glasses every working spaces had a view of the entertainment center, Tony had said that it was so no one would feel isolated while working but really he liked being able to make sure everyone was safe and sound whenever he felt a panic attack coming.

"How long did you say I've been up for?" Tony asked JARVIS, because he was pretty sure hallucinations were supposed to come later on.

 _It has been 40 hours and 33 minutes, Sir._

"How much did I get to drink?" Tony inquired.

 _I have no records of any alcohol consumption in the last 4 days._

Well that wasn't as unexpected as he thought it would be, having everyone around help keeping him busy and away from any form of anxiety. But really he couldn't be seeing what he was seeing for real. Barton, Rogers and Darcy were watching a movie, and the unexpected part wasn't the movie, even though watching the zombies' B movie without him was hurting his feeling deeply.

Darcy was nestled against Clint, her head on his collarbone, her eyes closed, she seemed to be sleeping. Clint was angled so his cheek was laying on top of her head, his right arm was curled up around her, fingers rubbing on her upper thigh. Tony followed the length of her stretch out legs, watching as more hands were caressing her through her pants, thumbs gently massaging her calf from her ankle to her knee, meeting with another strong hand keeping her from moving away without meaning to.

Darcy wasn't the only person leaning on Clint, Steve was tugged on the archer's left side, their shoulders pressed against each other, Clint's left arm lingering over the other man's neck his hand disappearing behind the captain's head but the pleasured relaxed look on the blonde's face made Tony believe that Clint was rubbing gentle fingers over Steve's scalp, maybe even scratching his finger nails here and there.

Steve turned gentle delighted eyes toward Clint, snuggling closer to the other man, removing his hand from Darcy knee to caress Clint's chin with the back of his hand, his thumb nudging him closer until their lips met, sealing the two men into a tender careful languorous kiss. The sight was enticing, Tony couldn't take his eyes away from it. They seemed to be in a delicate bubble of bliss, and he surprised himself hoping that nothing would come burst it out. Not even him, although, even watching his team mates and friends in this intimate moment he couldn't help but think about the girl in their arms, and how much it would hurt her to see them like that, because everyone could see she was waiting for one of them to love her back.

Darcy woke up and Tony wanted to scream, knock on the window to distract them anything for her not to witness them. But Darcy didn't seem fazed by what she opened her eyes to, she was smiling at them snuggling closer to Clint, entwining her finger with Steve's. Clint turned slightly letting go of Steve's lips to kiss the tip of Darcy's nose, her cheek, her lips, giving her the same passionate lingering kiss he had shared with Steve a few second before. Steve let go of her leg guiding them down, taking both of Darcy's hands in his, to help her up, tugging her against him, his hand roaming on her back. Tony looked fascinated as Steve leaned in to press his lips on Darcy's, fingers combing her hair away as Clint got up, hugging the both of them in his arms, leading them toward the elevator.

"Did I just …?" Tony asked to himself but not even sure of what he had witnessed wasn't able to finish his own thought.

 _I can assure you that you did not, Sir._

"I am pretty sure I just saw Cap, Barton and Darcy…" Tony stopped searching for the right word, they had been kissing but it was far more intimate then any make out session could have been, "being amazingly enamored for people who are not supposed to be in a relationship."

 _Unfortunately my prior references don't allow me to form a coherent argument on that matter, Sir._

"That's a depressing thought _J_ I've been better at that affection showing thing with Pepper." Tony protested.

 _Certainly Sir. I was merely referring to my own lack of experience on the subject._

"You're trying to distract me." Tony said.

 _Miss Potts is waiting for you in your room Sir._

"This is not over _J._ " Tony told him getting out of the lab all the same. "They knew I was up there right?" Tony questioned.

 _They were aware of that fact. Though I have been asked to inform you that talking about it to the other residents will have dire repercussions._

"Send them something nice." He said smiling fondly getting up the stairs to join Pepper.

Tony kept his tongue for a few days waiting for Darcy to come to him. That morning over breakfast, Clint's absence reminded Tony that the archer had told them he would have to go supervise a survival exercise with the X-men and SHIELD's trainees and would be gone for a couple of days.

"Tony, did you see Buddy today?" Darcy asked him with a shy smile certainly noticing his subtle glances between her and Steve who were sitting on opposing sides of the table.

"He is playing Hide and Seek with the bots." Tony explained grinning.

"Great he needs non-human friends." Darcy said getting back to her pancakes. "He was a very good little Buddy in London, I want to do something for him. Maybe get him an upgrade."

"Come to the workshop later, we see what we can do about it." Tony told her trying all he could not to sound too excited about finally spending some time with her.

"Go on with it Tony." Darcy told him not even 5 minutes after she entered the lab.

"Go on with what?" He asked.

"I know you saw us the other night, JARVIS told me." Darcy explained.

"I saw nothing that needed to be commented on, unless you want to talk about it." Tony said.

"You're not going to disapprove, or make fun of us." She asked surprised. "Please don't tease them." She pleaded.

"Darce, I saw happy, blissed out people sharing a moment, nothing to be teased about. And JARVIS not so subtly reminded me that I wasn't allowed to judge people's love life" Tony assured her.

She came to sit next to him pocking him relentlessly "Who are you and what did you do to Tony Stark?" before he could answer she continued. "Is that one of the side- effects of Extremis no one wanted to talk to me about?"

"There are no Side-effects, and it's me." Tony sighed. "Ask Pepper, she saw my heart she can agree."

He waited a few minutes handing her a coffee mug before adding. "Why show me though?"

"It was my choice. They wanted to make sure someone will look after me if they went on mission at the same time or look after them for me and for each other if you were all out Avenger-ing and you were the only one I could think of."

"I don't think anyone ever asked me to take care of a human being before." Tony told her a little taken aback.

"They just like the idea of someone other than my absentminded best friend to be able to tell them if something is wrong, or if I miss them, I think." She explained.

"I can totally do that." Tony assured her.

"Thank you." She said kissing his cheek affectionately.

"Why not Nat though?" He couldn't help to ask.

"Because I don't want to tell her." She stated. "So what did you think about for Buddy?" She asked changing the subject completely, making him realized that maybe keeping the secret had more to do with being scared of people criticism than about new experiences.

"You two are looking sad!" Tony said siting himself on the couch next to Steve and Darcy. "I thought your little Birdy was coming back tonight, shouldn't you be annoyingly smiling?"

Tony hadn't tease anyone, not that it hadn't occurred to him at times but really in the last week or so since that night, he had many opportunities to observe Darcy and Steve, and think about the interactions he witnessed between Clint and Darcy or Steve and Clint since the Chitauri attack. Get at least two of them in the same room and you could appreciate happiness radiating from them, easy wit and sass getting exchanged, laughter filing the floors. But he kept going back to those few moments he got to see all three of them, how natural, how mesmerizing it had been, those minutes had left him longing for more time with Pepper, pushed him to get reservation for Bruce and Betty at a romantic restaurant. They were inspiring.

Let's be honest he'll still tease with the rest of them, as soon as everyone will know, but for now, Jane wasn't into gossiping and Thor rather spend time at the gym with Steve or with Jane on their floor mourning the death of his mother and brother.

"He'll be here in an hour." Steve told him.

"Than what's with the face?" Tony asked, Steve and Darcy looked dejected, sad, not the happy smile he was waiting to enjoy. "Oh I know." He said standing up to face them before they could explain themselves. "You don't want to share him." He said pointing an accusing finger at them.

Darcy whimpered mumbling something unintelligible hiding her face into Steve's shoulder the man padding her head gently.

"I didn't get that." Tony quipped. "I would help but I think it would set a bad example for the future. We'll never get to enjoy your delightful presence if you don't learn to share." Tony said amused, pacing in front of them thinking about how he could free them for the evening.

"It's been 3 days Tony." Darcy repeated louder this time.

"I have to get back to DC in a few days." Steve added.

"Fine. Where is the Spider?" Tony asked.

"DC she is handling missions while I am off." Steve admitted a little shameful. Tony had watched him apologize profusely to Natasha who really looked like she didn't care, having kept Darcy's secret and the Strike Team away from the tower, he told her that he wanted to make sure Thor would be okay and the Norse God had thanked him both appreciating the Captain's effective help and happy to cover for his friends.

"Then it's pretty easy. I am going to surprise Pepper with a spontaneous diner date, Darcy is going to put Betty in Bruce's lab they should find a way to entertain themselves, and you could tell Jane and Thor what you want do, I am sure they can enjoy a night of private time too." Tony suggested, simple but to the point.

"You would do that for us?" Steve asked a little surprised.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Cap. It's really touching." Tony said putting his hand over his heart dramatically. But really watching them smile was making up for the doubt Steve could let slip.


	34. No one will find the bodies

The story takes place somewhere in the 33th chapter 'Some things need to be seen', FanFiction doesn't allow to write Series so I am updating it now, but it's supposed to happen in between the times Tony caught Darcy, Clint, and Steve together on the previous chapter ;)

 **No one will find the bodies.**

Steve and Clint had talked about it, well at least with each other they were not crazy enough to talk about it with Darcy they rather keep her happy and they were pretty sure what they had plan was not going to make her happy.

"You're ready?" Clint asked Steve leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom.

"I still don't think it's a good idea." Steve said straightening his tie.

"It was your idea." Clint protested.

"So? My last relationship was in 1945, and it wasn't even a real relationship mostly stolen moments to evade the MP." Steve explained. "You shouldn't listen to me."

"Well I listened when you said it was okay to love the both of you and I am not regretting that choice yet so I am going to keep listening to you." Clint deadpanned pushing himself away from the door to put a wet kiss on his boyfriend's cheek.

"I don't really like it when you try to play cute." Steve told him not able to prevent a grin from creeping on his face.

"Yeah I'm sure it's unbearable." Clint told him rolling his eyes before smacking Steve's ass to make him move.

"Why don't we just go to see her mom? A trip to Vegas sounds less tiring." Steve complained again when they entered the elevator.

"You know why." Clint sighed out. "Elizabeth hasn't called her for anything other than updates on April in the last 6 months, Darcy love that little girl but, she's just not her parent anymore too glad that her little freak found new people to protect her." Clint said feeling the anger rise in his chest.

They talked about it already, when Clint got suspicious over Elizabeth lack of interest in Darcy's life at the tower, or when Darcy went to Jane for the Holiday instead of going home, she was the only one of them who still had a family so it had worried him. But they eventually learned that Darcy had been right April was her mother's due over, and Elizabeth was a proud mom living the dream with her supporting husband, a Facebook page full of April's day to day little accomplishment, showing her off, even organizing a birthday party for the baby first birthday, all those thinks she couldn't do with Darcy because of Thomas living them, and later of the bonds and the constant pressure they were living with.

"She has us." Steve told him taking him into his arms to kiss his temple.

"And him." Clint added smiling back at Steve.

"And him." Steve repeated sighing. "Okay let's do it."

"JARVIS, we're ready." Clint laughed waiting for the doors to open, they had been on the penthouse level already but the AI had been nice enough to wait them out.

 _Sir ordered dinner and is waiting for you in the living room for drinks._

"We'll be there in a minute JARVIS thank you." Steve told the helpful AI.

"Why the wait?" Clint asked.

"Because it's really important that you know that if your parents were alive I would do the same for you, I love you Clint and whatever Tony has to say about us it's not going to change that." Steve explained the brightest smile gracing his face.

"I am not going to dignified that beautiful declaration of love with an answer." Clint said with a sad smile if his parents were still alive he would probably be either dead or in prison certainly not here kissing Captain America. "Love you too, Old Man, and if you really feel the need, talk to Tasha."

"Are you going to stay there and make out like teenagers hiding from their parents? Or are you going to join me for drinks?" Tony screamed at them from the adjacent room.

"We were not making out!" Steve complained when they entered the room.

"Yeah we totally were." Clint laughed it out.

"So you wanted to talk to me about something?" Tony asked passing them the drinks he prepared for him.

"We thought you would like the opportunity to gives us the first Shovel-talk." Clint explained to Tony who chuckled, choking on his dirty Martini.

"You all need to stop doing that." Tony mumbled.

"Something wrong?" Clint asked him.

"I can't take care a human being, most of the days my bots have to feed me." Tony told them letting himself fall on the couch.

Steve and Clint both started to laugh, sitting next to him when he send them a death glare.

"I don't see how that's funny." Tony grumbled pouting.

"You realize that she's the one taking care of you right?" Steve asked.

"You've been taking care of her without ever thinking twice about it, getting her everything she could ever dream off." Clint added before Tony could answer Steve.

"That's just money, I do the same for all of you, it's not like I don't have enough to share." Tony hissed getting up and starting to pace in between the couches.

"It's not the money." Steve told him. "Not for any of us."

"What Cap is trying to tell you is that your money is the last think we all think about when we spend time with you." Clint explained "Don't get me wrong I love all of what your money has to offer to us, and the security you pay for to protect the tower, but you need to stop thinking that you can't take care of her."

"I didn't do anything, most of the days she is the one who's keeping me alive, like she does with everyone at the tower." Tony said.

"You're even more exasperating than the Dinosaur. I am usually the one with self-doubt and lack of believe in my own worth but with you two I am starting to feel like the healthiest person in this tower." Clint grunted.

"What does that even mean?" Tony asked.

"She chose you Tony, when we asked her to choose someone, she didn't even hesitated. She's acting all annoyed when you try to bribe her, or when you say she'll be grounded here for the rest of her life if anyone ever find out about the bonds. She tells everyone that they have to stop making jokes about Pepper and you acting like parents around her." Clint summarized.

"But in truth she loves it, her mom was great at hiding her but she spend too much time keeping Darcy from prying eyes to really take the time to be a mom, and now that she is doing all of this with April I think the only think keeping Darcy from losing it every time Elizabeth sends a picture of the little girl is the assurance that she can always come and find you, that you protect her from the evil out of the tower but you still find time to eat with her, play with her, that you actually seek her out to spend time with her, and that you're not waiting for anything in exchange." He explained.

"I am pretty sure you two do the same for her." Tony protested wiggling on his seat.

"Unless you're hiding something from us that would require for us to challenge you, it's not the same." Steve laughed.

"We're in love with her. You don't have any obligations to her. Even before he died, Phil chose to leave her be, Natasha is still a little skittish about the bonds, even though she is trying harder since she met Darcy. But you never doubt her. When Coulson came after Afghanistan to tell you about that girl who could be bonded to you, and had been kept away in her own cave the all-time you had disappeared, did you even check her out before you decided to help her?" Clint asked.

"I never needed to." Tony whispered, but shook his head when Steve opened his mouth no doubt to ask why.

They stayed silent for a while, just long enough for all they had spoken about to sink in.

"So you know that I am Iron Man, right?" Tony said looking at both man. "If you hurt my little girl no one will ever find the bodies."

"Yep that's what we came up here for." Steve snorted.

"Wanted to make sure you were okay with the three of us." Clint sighed rolling his eyes.

"It would be hard to say I don't want it for her when all three of you are all happy and smiling all the time." Tony admitted.

"Yeah we're pretty happy." Steve said leaning in to seal his lips to Clint's briefly.


	35. In the dark of the night

**In the dark of the night.**

Tony made good on his plan, 50 min after their talk everyone was ready to leave the Tower, each couple wanting to have a nice time outside. Darcy had left Steve to see them out and get Clint to their floor. He still couldn't believe how quickly she had invited them into her world, it had been a little over a month since she came back from London and Steve hadn't slept on his own floor even once he thanked the AI every day for people not finding out about that part of his night. But it wasn't only that, the three of them grow even closer if it was even possible.

He had seen Clint and Darcy interact before, they were always so close, always touching, aching to be near each other they were fascinating and he chucked it of on bond thing. The more he got to know them the more he realized, the yearning he felt for them was there all along, it was more than lust, more than longing. He tried to stay away but they kept including him more and more into their world without even realizing it. He let them do it, because he wanted to, Nat could say whatever she wanted about the 'unicorn effect' it wasn't like that, not for him, he never felt like an intruder into their world always like a missing part of it, that would make the three of them feel all.

"Hi, there Fellow." He heard coming from the elevator, "I heard it was a good place for a soldier to stay." Steve didn't look up to his boyfriend so he could hide the big smile on his face.

"I don't know who told you this. We have no vacancy left, the place is a little crowded at the time." Steve told him.

"I don't mind sharing the bed." Clint whispered in his ear bending over the couch to kiss Steve's neck. Steve only had to turn his head slightly to capture Clint's lips in a passionate kiss, he had missed the rougher touch of the man's lips and how did 3 days become too long for him to be away from them?

"I heard Hulk is a very light sleeper, you better make sure you'll stay on your side." Steve continued turning to face him completely, Clint making his way around the couch to join him.

They never had been discreet not really, sure JARVIS would tell them if someone was about to walk on them but they didn't really care, having each other at a touching distance at all time felt nice. They had voluntarily showed themselves to Tony, and Hulk had caught them kissing in an alley after the Valentine's Day battle but they didn't know what Bruce would actually remember about that, he was pretty sure Nat saw them at the Gym before Clint and her left for DC but she kept pushing him to date girls from SHIELD so maybe she didn't actually saw anything. Strangely enough he only seemed to get caught with Clint, surrely because of all the time spent with Darcy had either been at the lab around Jane who already knew or out of the tower.

He got lost in his thoughts but Clint actually straddling him in the living room got him to come back to the moment.

"I was thinking more of a bed full with a hot super soldier and a sexy curvy brunette." Clint said before leaning in to kiss Steve.

"Yeah we might be able to arrange that." Steve told him grinning into the kisses they were sharing lazily.

"I missed you." Clint told him and Steve couldn't help but grip the man tightly, getting him closer, his hands roaming over his back, digging into his tensed muscles. "Guess you missed me too." Clint said chuckling when they stopped to take a few breathes.

"Nope not at all." Steve said teasingly, putting one last kiss on Clint's nose tip.

"Tony texted, said we have the tower to ourselves and to not break anything." Clint said getting himself off Steve's laps. "Is it just the two of us or is Darcy here too?"

"She is downstairs she said she'll call when we can get down." Steve told him pushing lightly on his shoulders until Clint was laid down on the couch "I can think of a few thing we could do in the meantime."

"Oh! I like the way you're thinking." Clint told him getting down easily dragging Steve with him by putting a hand on his neck tugging him down.

They kissed for sometimes, it was not enough, it was never enough, Steve never had enough of the taste of his lips on him, never enough of Clint's scared skin under his fingers when he let his hands slip under his bundle up shirt, he wanted to take the time to worship each scars, he knew none of them were attuned to nice memories and he wanted to replace them with kisses and caresses.

"Steve, you really need to stop doing that." Clint falsely complained, getting Steve closer to him, instead of further away.

"I don't think that's what the plan for tonight is about." Steve told him sucking his mark on his man's collarbone. "I think Darcy is putting on the lingerie she bought last week on her girls' day out with Nat, Jane, Betty and Pepper. I think she is even watching us right now thanks to JARVIS." He whispered in Clint's ear, getting him to arch his back under his touch.

"Is she now?" Clint said breathless.

"I told JARVIS to patch her through so yeah." He explained.

"That's not really Captain America of you." Clint chuckled.

"Surveillance is always a good plan." Steve told him tugging Clint's shirt away completely.

 _Gentlemen, Miss Lewis is asking if you could move the show to your own floor._

"We can do that." Clint laughed not getting away from Steve anyway.

"We'll be there in a minute." Steve added.

"If you don't get here right now, you're going to regret it." Darcy said JARVIS patching her through his systems.

"Yep, we're moving." Steve said pushing himself out from over Clint sweeping the other man off the couch.

They walked out to the elevator, necking all the way down to their floor, missing the doors opening for them, only reminded of where they were when Darcy coughed loudly behind them making Clint accidentally bit too hard on Steve's lower lip. Steve didn't mind, in fact the loud moan he let out made it pretty clear for the assemble how much he didn't mind Clint biting him to blood, not that it was important anyway, his lip will be back to normal before they got out of the cart.

"Wow." Darcy sighed still behind them. Making him groan leaning his head on Clint's shoulder who patted his back.

"You haven't even seen her yet." Clint whispered to his ear, nipping at his lobe. Steve looked up to Clint, the man beautiful Grey-blue irises practically invisible around his blown out pupils, he looked hungry, his knuckles white as he hold on tight to Steve's shirt probably to keep himself from running to her.

Steve looked behind himself to watch at Darcy and felt weak in the knees, mirroring Clint's behavior gripping on the other man's waistband for leverage. Darcy had left to prepare a surprise, or so she had told him, he knew what she had in mind, the month they had waited to have sex had given them plenty of time to learn each other's way. It also gave Darcy birth control, an implant she asked Betty for the day after she came back from London, time to be effective. They had 2 days before Steve had to leave for DC he couldn't put it off anymore and Darcy had told him if she were able to they would not to leave the room until then.

She had put on what she had bought a few days before, she hadn't showed them what it was telling them it would be special. She was wearing dark purple knee high boots with an intricate pattern of dark brown arrows on the side, and long black laces. Her thighs were covered by black lace stockings holding up with a laced dark red garter belt. She wore bright white silky short panties with a dark blue, white stars corset to cover her upper body. It shouldn't match their colors were too different but watching them on her pale skin made it all worse it any way. She had pinned her hair up, accentuating the contrast between her complexion and the necklace Clint had made for her.

"You guys plan on leaving the elevator anytime soon?" Darcy said crooking her head, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"I am not sure any of us actually can move." Clint said to her playfully.

"Oh!" She said grinning. "Maybe I should go put some more clothes on then." She said with a fake pout.

"No!" They both growled at the same time and she jumped a step away from them in surprise before steeling herself smirking.

"Then you better come and get me before I get to our room." She told them taking a slow step backward toward the bedroom door.

Steve took one look between Clint and Darcy before they both run to her, gathering her in their arms making sure she wouldn't go anywhere away from them any time soon, making her laugh loudly.

"I like it when my Evil plan is working like a charm." She told them faking a villain's laugh like the one the bad guy always did on her favorite movies.

"I think you're the only villain who can get the Avengers on her side." Clint told her.

"I was hoping two of them would get on their knees actually." Darcy moaned out when Steve started to kiss along her neck.

"Darce!" Clint complained loudly.

"What?" She said giggling. "I thought we were finally planning on sex." She argued. "Please tell me that's still the plan." She exhale a long breath when Clint pushed his fingers under the seam of her corset hugging her closer to himself, forcing Steve to follow them toward the room.

"I didn't know about 'the plan' but I am liking this, please tell me we can make it a tradition for whenever one of us comes back from traveling." He told her and both Steve and Darcy nodded enthusiastically their heads brushing against each other until Steve started to seal his lips to hers, pushing light needy kisses on her plump lips.

"One of you is wearing too many clothes." Darcy complained tugging on Steve's shirt for him to pull it off, which he did happily.

"I am conflicted. I think we're all wearing too much clothes, but I kind of don't want you to get any of this off either." Clint told Darcy and Steve was incline to agree, Darcy's body in their color was a sight he wanted to cherish and admire not tear away.

Clint for all his talk and all the kisses and touches he was giving the both of them was stalling keeping them away from the bedroom. They had talked about it before he went on mission, or at least Clint had talk to him about it, he had told the archer to explain things to Darcy but he didn't know if the man actually took his advice.

"You're okay there fellow?" Darcy asked turning toward Clint suddenly.

"Hum Hum." Clint hummed kissing her deeply.

"Clint, I am serious." She said pushing him away gently and the man groaned hiding his head on her neck.

"Okay." He grunted reluctantly. "All this built up, kind of made me nervous."

"About sex?" Darcy asked surprised.

"About sex with me." Steve whispered to Darcy.

"Oh!" She said getting Clint's head out from hiding. "I saw the two of you together it would take an emergency call for you to actually physically get apart, so what's the hold up? Because it sure aren't the lack of desire, you were already rock hard when you first came to me."

Clint mumbled something quickly not looking at any of them.

"I literally didn't get any of that. Did you?" Darcy asked Steve.

"Nope, but we talked about it I already know what's going on and I told him I didn't care." Steve said looking right in Clint's eyes. "I don't care." Steve repeating himself before kissing the other man.

"But I do." Clint told him taking a step away from them.

"And I'd like to know what's going on." Darcy said.

"It's just nerves." Clint told her.

"Yeah I got that." Darcy stepped into his arms kissing him.

"What would happened if I wasn't good at this? If I didn't like it?" Clint finally admitted, and Steve was about to tell him again that he didn't care, just like the 5 previous times they had talked about it, tired of explaining that he couldn't see how the man could be bad at anything, Clint was worse than Tony at taking compliments.

"Well first, like I said I saw the two of you, avidly watched actually, with hungry eyes and cold showers involved, the only thing that stopped you all this time was the agreement we had, I can't even imagine you not liking having sex with Steve. Second, if you're not comfortable with certain things well..." She stopped putting a hand over her heart dramatically, "I'll be the sacrificial lamb, you can use me as a buffer, it will be really hard on me, or at least I hope so, but I'll do it for the three of us."

"Oh yeah, I am sure it's a big sacrifice for you." Steve said taking a step forward to approach them, Darcy nodding enthusiastically.

"Or..." Darcy said letting it trail off, stepping away from them two guiding them to hold on to each other.

"What's your plan?" Clint asked her raising an eyebrow but going into Steve's arms either way and she led them to the bedroom.

"Or Steve and I could make sure you enjoy yourself every step of the way, get the blushing virgin experience everyone deserves." Darcy explained pushing them to the bed.

"That does sounds nice." Steve whispered in Clint's ear. "Our girl has the best ideas."

"We are going to take such good care of you Hawk-guy." Darcy told him pushing gently so he would lay down on the bed, starting to undo his pants. "And Steve is going to take care of your boots because I don't want to spend the next hours trying to figure them out." She said pointing them out.

Steve laughed but executed himself either way because she was right they were complicated for a first timer and he doesn't want to waste time either plus kneeling in front of the bed he has the best view in the house, Darcy had managed to get Clint's pants down to his knees and she was straddling him now, the bulge of his underpants curved just right with her ass. He couldn't help himself he had to touch kneading her cheeks, letting his thumbs caress Clint, making the man arch into her in surprise with a yelp.

"Sorry, it was too tempting." Steve whispered not being sorry at all.

"Don't be sorry, he liked it." Darcy confirmed for him.

Steve joined them back on the bed and started kissing Clint's left side while Darcy was mirroring his every move on his right side working the man in tandem until he was nothing but puddle of goo under them. Clint was touching them, putting his hands on every part of them he could get, kissing and licking Darcy's breast every time the woman would get herself close to his mouth. The archer deftly hand punching the waist line of his sweat pants away, the position they were in laying side by side only allowing him to graze light fingers, scratching tempting nails against the sensible skin of Steve's shaft.

"I don't think you have a problem with being teasingly good" Steve chocked out breathlessly.

Hearing Clint relaxed laugh was better than anything he could have imagined hearing from his man tonight. Moans, whimpers, groans, growls, he wasn't used to them but Clint was always vocal during their make-out sessions, which was always pleasant and hell of an arousing fact, but getting him to laugh, really laugh freely, care free that was a rare enough occurrence to make Steve want to devour it, get every vibration of the sound inside of him, stealing them with a deep kiss.

"That was incredibly hot." Darcy said watching them amused.

Steve and Darcy continued to caress and kiss Clint worshiping his skin, his muscle, his scars, enjoying making more of those delicious little sounds get out of his mouth. They finally met licking and kiss the other man's erected cock. Kissing each other, tongue mingling grazing over his tip until Darcy nuzzled Steve before leaving him to it. Clint didn't protest to the change so Steve went on with what he wanted to do, giving his man an blowjob, licking, and sucking, kissing on the man shaft.

"Aww…" Clint said. "Darcy!"

Steve had to look up at that wondering what the woman was doing to their boyfriend but Darcy was actually sitting next to him watching them hungrily doing nothing apart from mirroring the little sounds getting out of Clint's throat.

"Darcy! Stop it!" Clint cried out.

Steve stopped his ministration to look at the both of them, crocking an eyebrow.

"Hey I didn't say anything about you." Clint whined pouting at Steve.

"Someone wants to fill me in?" Steve asked.

"My bad, I really didn't do that on purpose." Darcy told them biting on her lips, a hand between her legs, playing with herself.

"What did you do?" Steve asked her and watched as Clint gestured for her to explain.

"I wondered what it felt like, for like a second I thought, 'That looks like it feels really good' and I kind of…" Darcy mumbled something Steve didn't understand.

"What was that?" Steve asked kissing along Clint's thighs.

"She is stealing my thunder." Clint laughed and Steve looked up in surprise.

"I am not stealing anything only sharing." Darcy protested.

"You, two better explain everything to me." Steve said sitting up on the bed still smiling because it seemed to be a good thing they were trying to explain but he didn't like not being a part of it.

"So I wondered what it felt like, what he felt with your mouth on him and I…" Darcy looked away shyly. "I used the bond to get my answer and it was so good I kept it open."

"You can do that?" Steve asked surprised.

"Kind of, I usually keep it at something simple, only a presence inside that tells me Clint or the others are okay, but yeah I can open it more that's what it does on its own when Tony or Tasha are hurt…" Darcy explained getting out of the bed. "This was way better though."

"If it was so good why did Clint stopped us?" Steve inquired.

"Hey! I asked her to stop not you." Clint told him.

"Sorry Babe." Steve said returning to his kissing of Clint gesturing for him to continue with the explanation.

"Because I want to enjoy being with you and the loop she created between her pleasure and mine was too much I would have come way too early for my liking." Clint explained, painfully in between moans and growls while Steve returned to sucking him.

"Humm…" Steve hummed around Clint's cock. "Those it mean if I get one of you off the other will come too?" He finally asked after thinking about it for a minute.

"I think it's worth experimenting on." Darcy told him grinning, Clint nodding enthusiastically. And Steve was on board with that plan, grabbing Darcy to kiss her passionately, thinking about how he would test their theory first, not feeling so excluded anymore, but as he had always thought as if he was part of the puzzle they were creating, he heard Clint groaning from the kiss he was giving to Darcy and couldn't help the smirk that started to appear on his lips, this was going to be so much fun.


	36. The Scent of (un-)needed Things

Chapter 35: The Scent of (un-)needed Things.

Summary: The Winter Soldier Chapter- Sam's POV

Notes: Talk about PTSD - Sam meets the Avengers and learn more about the organisation and his new friends that he would ever dreamed about

 **The Scent of (un-)needed Things.**

He knew it sounded weird and he kept himself from explaining it to others because somehow he still thought of it as something that made him stand out instead of blend in. The counsellor at the VA had made him talk in length about Riley's death and had noticed that what Sam remembered the most were not the sounds of the RPG, nor was it the screams of his partner falling down, he couldn't even describe what the landing sites had looked like after. No what he remembered were the smell of burned wood, explosives, gasoline, sweat, burned flesh. The counsellor told him he had to replace those pesky scents with new, more positives one, pushed him to buy new cologne, after shave, to find fragrance he would like and tie them to nice memories.

That's how Sam came into cooking, he liked it when his all house started to smell like cookies, bacon, salty chicken, fried onions, whatever he could get his hands on, at first it didn't even taste good but he didn't care, he was doing what was asked of him and the counsellor had been right it made him feel better. That's when he started to look into other things he could experience. Running around the National Mall pool had been a strange experience, usually at this time of year, some of the trees and flowers would start to bloom and it will fill his lunges with those delicious fragrances, but some days like the first morning he went, the rain had been falling all night and the over-smell of the fishy pool and disturbed ditch water was awful to his nose, those mornings were hard on him, or on anyone running there really, but it felt good anyway.

Well until Steve Rogers, Captain America in person, came and spoiled his fun. Okay so Cap didn't spoil anything, being ridiculed by a 90 years old soldier who run twice faster than him had actually been fun. The man didn't seem as out of place, as lost as the newspapers made him to be, he was actually fun, joked about his lack of speed, about the VA, thanked him for his service, it was nice messing with him. And the man had a really nice looking friend, the Black Widow, if he was to believe his military friend, the red head was hot, and snarky, he wouldn't mind extending the VA invite he had just given Captain America to the spy.

Coffee was one of the smells he preferred, he bought really expensive one that would fill the entire room of the VA, he didn't mind sharing, it seemed to sooth more than just himself to be surrounded by that familiar strong scent. Steve had come to visit, the man was reeking old women perfume, roses, lilies, pushed to their purest essences, mixed with retirement home scents, moth repellent. He looked sad, self-conscious, talked about giving up on his work, on his uniform, and Sam knew how that felt, knew how working for the VA instead of taking orders had helped him heal. But honestly the man just looked like he wanted to be somewhere else, like he missed someone, alive, vibrant someone more than he actually wished to leave SHIELD. That smile that the man harbored when Sam asked him what he would do if he wasn't Captain America anymore, that simple smile, appearing furtively on his lips was telling more than his words would ever be. The man from out of time had found someone to anchor him into this century and simply wished to be near her, though Sam didn't know him enough to comment on it.

He was almost certain he would never meet the Captain again, whatever decision the man would make, he only needed someone to talk to at that moment, he would go back to being a super-hero, with extraordinary friends not a simple retired soldier. Or at least he thought so until Steve and Natasha knocked on his back door, telling him he was the only one they could trust. He let them use his bathroom to clean up, while he made breakfast, needing the explosive, RPG, smell they were covered with to be washed away, covered with fried grease, fresh fruit, maybe waffles, they must eat a lot.

"I made breakfast. If you guys...eat that sort of thing." Sam told them once it was ready, both excited and dreading what will come out of this meal, but he didn't thought twice when he went to his office and took the 'Falcon' file out of his safe to give it to them, he might not know why but he would follow them, help them.

"I am really sorry for intruding." Steve started to say but Sam stopped him.

"Don't mind, just eat your damn breakfast and tell me who tried to kill 2 of Earth Mightiest Heroes." Sam said arching an eyebrow.

"I really wish the PR team would listen to Tony a little less." Steve groaned barely hiding a smile from them.

"I happen to like it, protect us from public Evil." Natasha said. "Or at least it was supposed to until Captain America became Public Enemy Number 1."

Somehow they trusted him enough to confine about what happened in New Jersey and what they had learned. So Hydra was real, somehow it had skipped history books to go straight to comics history making people believe it was only fantasy, a monster for Captain America to fight while soldiers were saving Europe from Nazis. Natasha started to decipher who could be responsible, of course they wouldn't have easy access to Pierce but with some help from someone who his guards would disregard they could get to Sitwell, apparently Cap wasn't a big fan of the man neither was the Spider, it didn't seem to be such a hardship to turn against him for them. But they would need his wings and surprisingly that wasn't so hard to get to either.

"Sam I thought you said three guarded doors?" Natasha growled on their coms.

"Three, four, does it really make a difference? I also said 'last time I saw them' it was months ago." Sam told her apagogically.

"Nope no difference only more guards with concussions, I don't know if Tony has enough money to burry this much trouble with Rhodey." She commented.

"Rhodey?" Sam inquired.

"Iron Patriot. War Machine whatever." Natasha joked. "Who even trained those guys? This is way too easy."

"Meaning I could have done it?" Steve asked, he had been left in the car, contrary to popular believes on a military bases full of beefed up soldiers he would still not be really discreet.

"We need them unconscious not armed Hon, keep your strength for the strike team." Natasha answered.

"Nat." Steve whined.

"Calm down Cap we talked about this, if everything was a mistake, a plot from Zola, you need to walk out clean, I don't mind taking a little off of what Tony owes me to know the truth." Natasha explained.

"You mind focusing on not getting caught?" Sam asked a little stressed out.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Natasha told him passing right in front of him smiling to the guards on the outside of the base.

"Okay, let's go then." Sam said rolling his eyes, this was going to be a crazy day.

He went back to their car and drove them to DC listening as Natasha and Steve bickered like brother and sister about his dating life, about life at the tower, about why no one told Steve about the strike team involvement with Ross. Well that was less bicker more anger, about someone in particular that should have been more protected and how they should have never let anyone not Avengers get on the upper level without a thorough background check.

Apparently the Earth Mightiest Heroes had someone they cared to protect locked up in that NY tower, but it's not like he didn't just jump head first into the cause they had no reason to tell him what was going on, they might trust him but they didn't know him. He guessed if they survived the day's plan maybe he'll get to meet her and learn what was so special about her, for now he was starting to get the idea that somehow the implacable spy didn't notice Cap getting twitchy every time they talked about that girl. Sam was pretty sure he had just found out who had Steve so torn between his duty to SHIELD and living in NY with the Avengers.

Working with them catching Sitwell to prevent him from crashing to the ground was fun, learning that Hydra intended to exterminate billions of people with the SHIELD's Hellicarriers made the day take a turn for the worst. They needed to stop this and it wouldn't be as fun as kidnapping a high ranking official and pushing him off buildings, there would be people protecting the carriers, hopefully they wouldn't have to fight, Sitwell would get them in, he would allow them to screw up Hydra's plan, and maybe Sam could cook Roast for dinner tonight.

"Hydra doesn't like leaks." Sitwell told them trying to keep them from going back to SHIELD.

"Why don't you try sticking a cork in it?" Sam witted back.

They knew Project insight was soon going to launch they had already had a talk about the other Avengers involvement but it would take too long, give Hydra time to notice Sitwell was missing, and Iron Man wasn't exactly prone to stealth.

But apparently Hydra wasn't going for stealth anymore either. The Winter Soldier, the man who had apparently been able to pursue Fury's car before killing the director of SHIELD and evade Steve's shield was taking his frustration out on them. Sitwell was dead, grabbed by a metal hand and sent to be crushed on the other drive lane. Sam couldn't drive anymore seeing as the Soldier took away the steering wheel from the car. Natasha tried to shoot him to no effect. Steve finally grabbed them getting them out of the car moments before it went flying and crashing. Sam watched as Steve was sent on to the streets below the bridge, the strike teams they didn't seem to care about him, didn't even looked for him afterward.

He used Natasha's attack on the Soldier to go to the car retrieve his pack from the trunk leaving it closer to the people currently shooting at his friends. The men were talking in Russian, but he didn't need long to get what they meant, he could only watch as the Soldier went after Natasha while the rest of the team started shooting at a bus that in all likelihood was hiding Steve at the moment. He killed one of the shooters and covered Steve while he took care of the others, finally telling the Captain to go after Natasha. He put on his wings and went to find them arriving just in time to get the Soldier away from Steve.

But it hadn't been enough the Strike Teams had caught up with them Steve was repeating "Bucky" again and again his face pale as if he had just seen a ghost and while Hydra was handcuffing them. Sam noticed that they only owed their survival to the TVnews helicopter flying over them. Now they were packed up in a van with 2 guards, Steve was still talking about his long lost friend turned Hydra asset, Natasha was bleeding and the over pressing smell of sweat, blood and fire gun powder on her clothes were a little too much for him, if they were not going to kill them there than he needed a distraction.

"We need to get a doctor here. We don't put pressure on that wound she's going to bleed out." Sam told the guards not that he thought they would really care, they were ready to kill her earlier after all but still.

The one guard on his left started to move pulling out his electric rod Sam put himself between the rod and Natasha automatically but the guard used it on the one on Steve's side instead of one of them, taking HER helmet off.

"That thing was squeezing my brain." She told them. Sam saw both Natasha and Steve relax though he had no idea why. "Who's this guy?" she asked pointing him.

"Sam Wilson, he is with us." Steve told her. "Sam, Maria Hill."

"That's all nice Captain but we need to get out of here." Maria told them getting a laser torch out of her belt cutting through their cuffs and the van getting them yet into another one.

"You know I was wondering what kind of idiots would get us in a van with Steve's shield and my wings, glad it was a brilliant plan instead." Sam said checking over his pack, they would need it, he might not know the plan for now but he knew Steve wasn't going to give up. He pulled out an emergency kit from behind the driver's seat when Maria asked him too and took care of making sure Natasha wouldn't bleed out on them until they get her proper medical attention.

"Thanks." Natasha simply told him, holding her hand over his for a while.

Sam would have liked to even think about flirting with her but really it wasn't the right time for that, later maybe though. He got distracted by the scent of woods after the rain, and Maria soon stopped the Van getting them in what looked like a hidden facility under a dam. There someone was finally trying to pay attention to Natasha's wound, although she'd have to wait a little more apparently there was someone else they should see first. They talked to Fury, who apparently had faked his death while a doctor treated Natasha.

"I have to call the tower." Steve said suddenly.

"Yeah I figured." Fury gestured toward Nat, and Sam watched as Steve hissed taking a step away, while Natasha stilled herself. "First time?" Fury asked them and they both nodded.

Someone brought them a phone, or rather a computer with encryption that would allow them to make a phone call.

"Wilson?" Fury asked before allowing them to call, it wasn't directed at Sam but rather at Steve and Natasha who looked at each other before nodding for him to make the call.

 _Glad to know you're still alive Director Fury._

A voice with an English accent answered them.

"I am staying dead JARVIS" Fury told the man.

 _Of course. What can I do for you?_

"JARVIS how is Darcy?" Steve asked urgently almost shouting at the other man.

 _Distressed but alive._

The man seemed to be mad at Steve about something, even though it was only an undercurrent as if he wasn't supposed to be. Natasha and Steve both fall down to their chairs.

"Could you patch us up with everyone? Not on speakers." Steve asked and Sam was surprised.

 _You're on speakers everyone is in Miss Lewis' room._

"Figured." Fury said rolling his eyes.

"Tasha you owe me a couch!" Sam heard a feminine voice call, no doubt Miss Lewis, Natasha was the only woman on the Avengers team and who ever JARVIS was Sam doubted he would have patch them to Miss Potts.

"Whatever you want Darce." Natasha told to the woman surprising Sam by the kindness of her voice.

"In that case I rather you don't get shot anymore. Might not hurt but it's not a pleasant experience either." Darcy answered, and Sam was about to explode.

"What the hell?" Sam shouted out, he really had no idea of what was going on.

"Oh yeah, Sam Wilson, the avengers, the Avengers, Sam Wilson." Fury said amused.

 _I recorded your voice imprint for future reference Mister Wilson._

"Okay?" Sam said but he really wasn't sure any of it was okay.

"How about you tell us what the hell is going on?" He heard Stark ask. He had never met the man in person but heard enough speeches and recommendation recording on the Falcon's wings to recognize the voice anyway. "And who's flying around with my wings?"

"That would be me Mister Stark." Sam said quickly.

"Rhodey's going to be pissed at us FYI." Natasha added but they left it to that.

"Tony, Hydra is still alive." Steve said making everyone stop joking.

"No! That's not possible Howard would have known." Stark objected.

"They infiltrated SHIELD when they recruited scientists for Operation Paperclip." Natasha explained.

"Shit!" Stark swore and it was echoed by several other expectative on his side. They explained Zola, Pierce, and Sitwell getting more colorful words from the men at the Tower, then Bucky came out.

"Steve?" Darcy's voice called out but Steve ignored her and she didn't say anything else.

Fury explained how they could put an end to the Hellicarriers mission while everyone was listening.

"We're not salvaging anything. We're not bringing down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD." Steve told the man, leading to a disagreement between the two men.

"He's right." Maria finally settled choosing Cap's side.

"Don't look at me. I do what he does just slower." Sam told Fury when he looked up at him.

"Well... Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain." Fury finally admitted.

"Thought that was my job?" Darcy cut in.

"Darce it's really not the time." Steve told her sternly.

"Hey you don't get to talk to me like that, I am not a teenager you're all indulging by giving a title to play with." She shouted at him and even Maria took a step back from the table. "I got shot today, and I could have been out of the tower when it happened just because you two didn't thought you needed to tell us." She continued and Sam was more and more confused but when he looked around the table no one seemed ready to share intel on what she meant "You're going to destroy SHIELD, and I am all for it, go be a hero show the world who Hydra really is. But until further notice, Nick might not be the director of SHIELD anymore but I am still in charge of the Avengers so you're going to listen to me very carefully."

"Darce you really need to calm down, we don't have the space for Hulk to show up here." He heard a new voice say.

"Then get out." she yelled at him. "No wait Bruce stay, I just..." She cut herself off.

"Darce?" Steve asked.

"She's right, she might have a better perspective on this, and she has access to higher levels than we do." Natasha offered while they waited.

"Okay first, do you need the team?" Darcy asked calmly.

"Don't have time." Maria supplied.

"Okay." Darcy said and they waited a few more minutes in silence. "Nick, there is a woman on the council, send JARVIS her name, Tasha or Maria do you think one of you can take her place? I supposed Pierce invited them to launch Insight, even I got invited, it would have been weird not to."

"We have what we need to do it." Maria offered.

"You were supposed to be in DC?" Fury asked but everyone ignored him.

"Steve, some people working for SHIELD are good, find a way to tell them what's going on and they'll help" Steve nodded and although she couldn't see it Darcy kept going. "Sam? Don't know you but you'll cover them right?"

"I'll help all I can yes" He confirmed.

"Tasha remember what you did to those servers in Tokyo?" Darcy asked.

"We can't do that Darcy." Natasha protested.

"What happened in Tokyo?" Steve asked.

"Child trafficking, I stumbled upon it on a covered mission, send every Intel about their clients and the organization on the internet let the authorities catch them up." Natasha explained.

"Darcy!" Fury shouted suddenly the embodiment of his name.

"You don't have secrets anymore Nick, the second you take down the Hellicarrier every Hydra operatives will start leaking Intel to your enemies, saying SHIELD was the black sheep not them, it needs to be done." Darcy reasoned.

"But they are operatives in mission right now." Maria protested.

"Give us 2 Hours, Clint is going to contact everyone he is sure off, tell them to get the hell out of where ever they are, they'll do the same with theirs, we'll be quicker than Hydra, and if anyone disappear we'll have the civils' help to find them." She told them.

"I'll help Legolas, look into the files I already have, see who we can call or not." Stark added. "Call Rhodey tell him to get ready for the fall down."

"He can't help it can't be a military op." Steve protested.

"He won't." Tony confirmed.

"If anyone as anything they don't want to see on the internet JARVIS could take it off the servers as it's send in." Stark suggested.

"Take off anything about the serum, for me and Banner." Steve said. "And make sure Darcy isn't in any files." He added looking sternly at Fury who raised his hand in surrender.

"Leave everything about me, I don't want people to look into possible missing files." Natasha told them making everyone silent.

"Tasha?" a new voice called.

"It's okay Clint, it's my decision." And they stayed at that surprising Sam.

"Nick is dead. What about you Maria?" Darcy asked.

"I don't have anything to hide." Maria told them "Stark you're going to need to clean your house. A lot of your SI employees are ex SHIELD, scientists, security..."

"Shit." Stark said. "Need to call Happy and Pepper they need to land in Paris and not go to SI right away."

They heard a door being slammed and a long sigh.

"JARVIS activate Darcy's protocol no one goes in or out of the upper levels." Steve told the English man.

"I'll do it once we're not on speaker phone anymore JARVIS, just make sure Tony stays in for now." Darcy sighed.

Sam looked as Steve restrained himself from saying more, clearly wanting to talk more to Darcy but not in the middle of the room, they didn't have their phones anymore Hill had thrown them out on the way to the dam or he would have gave the Captain his.

"Any other instructions?" Steve asked almost amused.

"Just don't get yourself killed, I rather do that myself." Darcy told them ending the call.

"Well that was fun." Fury told them.

"We leave in 30 minutes." Steve told them before getting out of the room.

"So, he is not in charge of the Avengers?" Sam asked when the silence became too much for him to bare.

"She is." Fury answered and Natasha glared at him. "What? I am pretty sure we're about to get her grounded for the next 10 years, Stark is going to lock that Tower so tight she might not even see the sun for a while."

"That might be true." Natasha stopped to consider and Maria shook her head as Sam was about to ask 'what the hell' again.

Sam left them when they went further into the facility to find what they needed for the mission and joined Steve he needed to make sure the man wouldn't try to save Bucky instead of himself. But it went nowhere and he got it, he would do the same if he found out Riley was a POW but Bucky was violent and would not hesitate to kill them.

Bleach, disinfectant, meds, blood, all those scents that makes you feel like you're never going to be able to get them out of your skin, to scrub them off, makes you feel dirty even though they are meant to clean you, Sam hated hospitals, even military over guarded ones. After the Hellicarriers went down, after the last scrap of the Triskelion fell down in the Potomac, it took one more hour for them to find Steve, by then Colonel Rhodes had managed to make his way to DC helping them out. Steve had been sent in the same hospital with the same protection details the President would have, Rhodes orders.

"Sam did you even get checked out?" Natasha asked when she got passed the guards into Steve's room.

"I am not leaving him alone." Sam told her not even looking up from Steve.

"Don't worry about that, people are coming." Natasha said and Sam looked up at her seeing Stark talking to Rhodes out of the door.

"Fine." He said getting up padding Steve's thigh and following her out to a waiting physician.

"Hi! I am Betty Ross, if you don't mind I'll be the one checking your injuries from now on." She explained but it didn't really sound like a question, Sam took a quick look at Natasha who nodded for him to go on.

"Avengers' medical team." Natasha told him.

"I am not an…" Sam started but Natasha pushed him toward Dr Ross.

"Darcy' order." She said and disappeared. Sam still didn't know who Darcy was but he started to get why she was the one in charge. He knew enough to figure none of them would ever get checked out if not ordered to and having a trusted medical team helped.

"Hello! I'm Bruce Banner." A man said entering the exam room.

"I know who you are." Sam said getting back to looking at his own bruised ribs. "Is it even safe for you to be here?"

"As long as Darcy stays calm I'll make sure to get the Other Guy locked in." Bruce explained.

"Nice to know though I have a lot of questions about that…" Sam started and looked as Dr Ross started to grin at him shaking her head to tell him to keep it in for now. "What I meant was the Avengers, is it even safe for all of you to be here with Hydra out?"

"Did you really think we would have stayed in NY?" Bruce asked.

"No not really." Sam said getting lost in his mind trying to forget about what Dr Ross was doing.

"You can go back." Bruce told him. "Don't disturb!" He said before Sam walked out of the doors going back to Steve's room. He found Natasha out of it looking through the windows at the Captain.

"Just wait a little more." She told him making him take a look inside the room.

Steve was still asleep, unconscious, in his bed, but he wasn't alone, lying next to him careful not to lean too much on his body was a curvy little brunette, tears flowing on her cheeks, her left arm in a sling her right hand, only visible when Sam shifted, fingers intertwined with Steve's.

"Darcy?" Sam asked and Natasha only nodded.

But Natasha wasn't looking at the bed, she was looking at someone next to them on the chair Sam had pulled in there earlier. A man was looking over them, the side of the bed had been pulled down he had his head on his forearms resting on the mattress next to Steve's arm. Now that Sam went around Natasha he could see that the man wasn't resting his head next to Steve's arm, but on the Captain's hand, their fingers intertwined a few stray tears escaping every time he blinked to fall down on their joined hands. Sam pushed the door open, thinking it would startled the people inside and he would get a better picture of what was going on but they didn't move didn't even look up at the intruder, they only had eyes for Steve.

"Oh." Sam said not really sure of what was going on but sure that it was more than what he had thought, more than just Darcy that the captain had missed when they met at the VA a few days prior.

"Clint Sam, Sam Clint." Natasha introduced the man.

"Hawkeye, of course." Sam said with a nod hoping he would not disturb what was going on by getting the man to release Steve's hand to shake his.

"I prefer Clint or Barton when out of the field." Clint told him nodding back his hand staying on Steve's thumb rubbing on his wrist.

"She asleep?" Natasha asked pointing at the woman on the bed.

"Yeah, she hadn't slept since Tony received the call saying Cap was on the run from SHIELD." Clint explained. "She needed to make sure he was okay."

"Betty should have given her something." Natasha said getting on the woman's side to brush her hair away.

"We still don't know how it would affect any of us, Tasha." Clint protested.

"Someone mind telling me what's going on?" Sam asked once again. Everyone was acting like all of this discussion was perfectly normal.

"Darcy is a very special girl. You won't know more until you get to the Tower." He heard from behind him. He was so tired he hadn't even notice Stark getting in the room with them. "Barton, she can't stay on the bed she might pull on his stitches. You're place isn't safe. I booked several rooms at the closest hotel just get her there. Rhodey is going to stay with you."

Clint brushed a kiss on the Captain's hand getting around the bed he took the girl in his arms kissing her forehead.

"Hey Baby, let's get you in a bed before Betty decides to kill me okay?" he told her when she started to open her eyes but she nodded snuggling closer against him.

So many questions, Sam should make a list while he was waiting for Steve to wake up. All the Avengers slowly filled out of the room. Natasha needed the sleep too and some antibiotics, so Dr Ross dragged her into the next room, Stark spoke about packing up Barton's and Rogers' apartments and send everything to the tower asking if he wanted his house packed too. Sam refused politely but agreed grinning when he offered to update the wings.

"On your left." Sam heard tuning his head to take a look at Steve. The man was in bad shape but at least he was alive not sure he would still be if he wasn't, well, Captain America.

"Glad you're not dead." Sam told him smirking.

"Did you get checked out?" Steve asked, because of course it would be the first think he would ask.

"Natasha threaten me with Darcy's wrath if I didn't. Don't know if it was worth it but I always do what cute women tell me." Sam joked to see Steve's reaction and the man reddening cheek was telling enough.

"They came here?" Steve asked.

"Barton and Darcy stayed with you for a while but Stark ordered them away so you would sleep it off, Ross and Banner took care of Natasha and myself, they are busy packing your stuff away." Sam explained when Steve started to look around himself.

"You're coming back to NY with us." Steve ordered. In theory Sam would have objected to that but Hydra guards were in the loose and now they knew he was involved maybe a week or two at the tower while Steve healed would help them move on.

Sam stayed at the hospital until Steve was released, they went directly to the cemetery, where the lawn had just been freshly cut they put down flowers on Fury's grave even though the man was standing a few feet from them. Steve didn't even have to ask, Sam wouldn't let him loose himself into his quest for his best friend, a few weeks at the Tower with his loved ones and they would be on the road looking for a ghost. Natasha pushed Steve to date an ex SHIELD agent again and Sam shook his head.

"Why don't you just tell her?" Sam asked once she was far enough.

"A bet." Steve said shrugging.

"I really don't get how she missed it." Sam told them.

"She saw the same thing you did at the hospital, she just doesn't want to think about it I guess, she spent a lot of time thinking Clint and Darcy should be together I don't fit into her vision of them." Steve explained walking toward the car. "We're all going to be in NY for a while, she'll figure it out."

 **Notes:**

Next chapter: House Rules...

To the Guest who asked for my advice: unguest yourself and you'll be able to talk to me all you want I am always free to help or just talk ;)


	37. House Rules

**House Rules.**

"JARVIS what are we doing here?" Steve asked when the elevator only went to level 39, to the Tower employees' gym.

 _Protocol DL-6 has been activated since Agent Romanoff got shot, your companion is missing authorized access._

"JARVIS is the Tower security guard?" Sam asked surprised.

 _Good morning, Mister Wilson. I am Mister Stark's AI, I manage the Tower among other things. Please wait for further instructions._

"Seriously?" Sam asked looking confused at a smirking Steve.

"Well I could also leave you here and go up without you it will certainly take less time." Steve shrugged pointing at the stairs.

"No need to go to extremes Capsicle, I am here to help." Stark said getting out of the Elevator like he owned the place, which he did. "Oh and I won't be so confident Darcy is pretty pissed you might not be on the authorized list either." Stark pointed out making Steve groan rubbing his palm over his head.

"How mad is she?" Steve asked and Stark looked at Sam than back at Steve who nodded.

"Well if you didn't have your own floor I would say you're looking at lonely nights on the couch in your near future, but you know you have an actual bed to go to if it comes to that." Stark explained.

"I think I'll stick with the couch." Steve said resolutely.

"Might be a wise choice." Sam told him, trying really hard not to laugh at his friend, but really sleeping on the couch for a few days will do more for them than if he went back to sleep on his floor, showing her he was taking his punishment instead of going around it.

Stark took a few measurement with his tablet, voice imprint, fingerprint, DNA scans, Sam was feeling naked even without having to take off any of his clothes.

"JARVIS send everything to Hill, tell her to add him to the security protocol." Stark said looking at them. "It's going to take a minute. Got the wings back in the lab, you're going to have to explain what happened to them."

"The Winter Soldier tore them off." Sam said shrugging.

"Barnes did that?" Stark asked and Sam could see Steve tensing up.

"No I am pretty sure Barnes would love them, the Soldier however not so much." Sam had taken to differentiate them it was easier on Steve and would probably help the Avengers and the public make a difference between the man who had been a POW since 1945 and the Asset Hydra made him to be.

Stark sized him up and nodded. "Okay than, come take a look at them when you're done with the house rules." He told him.

 _Sir you still have 5 hours on your lab restriction._

"Darcy is being unreasonable, sure I blew up half the lab but she was bleeding out on the damn couch, I should not be held responsible." Stark complained, making Steve try badly to hide a laugh with a cough "So if you could come by after…" Stark looked at his expensive watch groaning. "…3 pm. We'll look at your wings." And with that he went back to the elevator. "You're coming?" He asked leaning on the far end wall of the cart.

"It's only been 5 minutes and I feel like this is going to be a weird stay." Sam told Steve while they entered the elevator.

"Your boy is out by the way, something to do with London and Ian, we couldn't join his bodyguard after you took down SHIELD so since Ian works for us it's our responsibility, plus his guard was on Clint's list of trusted people so he went to see what was going on." Stark explained.

"Did he take anyone?" Steve asked worriedly.

"No, said that they probably just went dark on their own, Ian would show up here while Clint was looking for him." Stark shrugged dismissing it but Steve still looked worried.

"And Darcy agreed?" Steve asked when they got out of the elevator.

"He's my assistant. If I wasn't sequestered in here I would be in London looking for him too." Darcy said, she was waiting for them. "Sam!" She told him holding out her hand to shake.

"Darce!" Steve whined but she ignored him.

"So as you just saw, house rule number one is no visitors, at least for now, until we can be sure the Tower security isn't full of Hydra Agents." She explained to Sam. "Hill says we have to send three more people to Nevada if that's okay." She told Stark.

"We better find somewhere else, I don't want the Nevada facility to become a Hydra plant." Stark said walking away taping on his tablet.

"Why not just fire them?" Sam asked.

"Leverage? We know they are there, we can control what Intel they get their dirty hands on eventually trade them if the need arise." Darcy explained coldly, it made sense but looking as Steve shuddered at her tone of voice, she wasn't really acting like her usual self.

"Darce!" Steve tried once again.

"Moving one, the Tower is surrounded by spies from a lot of agencies, mostly on the ground though since the new plans prevented direct view into the tower from the skyscrapers. General Ross has several men down there around the clock, Bruce and Betty aren't allowed outside without protection until we can make sure he is not paring up with Hydra. If you're willing to help with that tell them directly although they rarely get out of the Tower anyway." Darcy explained and from what Natasha had explained about the Strike team being ex-Ross soldiers it made sense.

Darcy had led them to the kitchen offering him fruits juice, and re-heated pancake breakfast, but still not talking to Steve or even looking at him really, Sam crocked an eyebrow at that but Steve brushed it off he will take care of it later.

"We all have free reign over every common areas, Sunday night are movie nights though. You'll be living with Steve ' **on his floor** '" she insisted on that last part even though Sam already knew the Captain had no intention to sleep down there. "JARVIS will order anything you need or simply want, as long as it's related to day to day life, Avengers stuff you'll have to ask Dumbass next to you or Stark, maybe Hill I haven't decided yet."

"Okay that makes sense." Sam said getting up to rinse off his plate and put it into the dishwasher.

"Security protocols. We each have our own, JARVIS will inform you if we activate one and what you're allowed to do or not, or where you can be or not depending on who activated it. Natasha leaves guns everywhere, if needed she is not opposed to sharing them otherwise don't touch. If I were you I'll check before sitting on any couch or chair, Clint tends to leave arrow heads in unlikely places. JARVIS usually manages for Iron Man's equipment or Tony's experiments not to go boom unexpectedly." She started to explain.

"I heard that Lewis." Stark screamed from far behind them.

"Go to sleep Tony!" She screamed back. "So I guess this leaves…"

"Hulk." Sam finished for her.

"He is around enough, Bruce and Tony build a safe room for him, but quick rundown, if he is mad and I am not around don't second guess yourself and run." Darcy told him.

"And if you're around?" Sam asked and Darcy grinned.

"I like you." She told Sam, seeming proud that someone was asking questions. "Tell me Sam how is your Bond situation?"

"Hum…" Sam said looking at Steve for advice but the Captain just gestured for him to answer. "Got parental ones, and I had a platonic one with Riley so it's not going to be a problem."

"Riley?" She asked but Sam saw Steve shaking his head and she continued without waiting for an answer. "So the situation of the house is a little complicated." She said leading him to the lounge and its couches

. "Want something stronger to drink?" She asked but Sam only asked for coffee Steve serving one to the three of them.

"So here is the deal, Bruce and Betty are romantic bonds, Pepper is bonded to a civilian she sometimes have lunch with it's all very platonic, everyone else is a blank." Darcy explained and Sam didn't comment he had figured that the Avengers wouldn't be bonded to people it would be dangerous with the kind of work they do plus he had seen enough of Natasha's and Steve's skin to take a guess. "We learned the bonds come from the Tesseract and Dumbass…"

"Darcy stop that." Steve protested and Sam looked at his friends surprised.

"Really? How?" Sam asked.

"Scienc-y stuff will be taken care off by the scientists after their nap." Darcy said sounding like his mom whenever she was trying to render his nephews.

"The Scientists?" Sam asked anyway.

"Jane Foster, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Betty Ross…" She said and Sam knew his face showed how interested he was into talking to all those people. "Welcome to Wonderland Wilson, please keep your arms and legs close to your body at all time, I don't like looking for parts." She was so serious that a shiver run down his spine.

"Okay I'll keep that in mind." Sam confirmed.

"So this part is more personal, and kind of complicated." Darcy said wiggling on her seat, Natasha entered the room and came to sit next to her snuggling against the woman.

"Sam" she acknowledged him with a smile.

"Natasha." He answered smiling back.

"Hey Darce, you heard from Clint?" Natasha asked.

"Left my phone in the bedroom. JARVIS?" Darcy inquired.

 _Agent Barton hasn't called or texted yet today._

"Okay." Natasha said rubbing her hand on Darcy back. "So how is it going?" She asked gesturing to Sam.

"Well we were getting to the 'Me' part of the security tour." Darcy said blushing and suddenly looking anywhere but at any of them.

"You know you don't have to do it, we already talked about this." Natasha told her.

"You all made your case, I listened, you were right if he is going to chase after our missing person and play with you on occasion he needs to know, I'll feel better if I can speak clearly in front of him. Plus he is going to live here for sometimes and …" She stopped and looked around them. "Weird stuff are bound to happen, like Hulk showing up for movie night."

"Wait Hulk does movie night?" Sam asked surprised at himself.

"He likes to cuddle in front of Disney movies." Darcy shrugged off.

"First off Sam, Darcy is off limits, outside of the Tower she doesn't exist or is strictly Miss Lewis head of the civilian part of the Avengers." Natasha told him.

"But in reality she is the head of the Avengers period." Sam remembered from the Dam facility.

"Not quite. Steve when he is in full possession of all his neurons is the head of the Avengers when it's about fighting and planning and training, and all those stuff I don't want to deal with and don't have time to spare for anyway." Darcy explained and Sam was confused she had been the one calling the shots the previous week after all. "Destruction of SHIELD created political chaos, civilians distrusting the government agencies, hole into SI human resources, PR disaster, injuries of allies and of, well, the four of you, and that's all on me, and my team but they do as I say so still on me, thank for bringing Hill on though she's been a great asset."

Sam understood, what they did had repercussions, Steve, Natasha, Fury, Hill and himself they had been the front of the attack, people knew they were there they showed themselves protected all they could but in the end there was civilian casualties and a lot more was down than just a building and a few carriers. The Avengers were a super-heroes team, a public face fighting for what was right, Darcy was the support system behind it, keeping them into the public good grace.

"I was wondering why the Winter Soldier hadn't been mentioned." Sam said aloud making Darcy smile.

"Hydra kept him as secret as SHIELD did with me, but JARVIS found some files anyway." Darcy admitted.

"SHIELD kept you secret?" Sam asked remembering the look Steve had send Fury when he said JARVIS should take care of any Darcy related files.

"Yep, JARVIS didn't find anything about me." She was proud of that fact.

"Not even…?" Natasha said looking at her without finishing her sentence.

"Nope, not even about Max." Darcy shrugged. "Phil and Nick did a good job hiding me, I would send them flowers, you know, if they were not dead." She said rolling her eyes.

"JARVIS said I should get up here." They heard from the elevator as Hill came into the room.

"Darcy was about to explain why she doesn't exist. But you already know that don't you?" Steve asked the new comer.

"No only obeyed orders where she was concerned. I don't mind doing it that way again." Maria said looking at Darcy.

"Sit down Hill." Darcy gestured to the couch. "Once upon a time…"

"Stop that." Natasha told her pushing her gently off the chair, helping her getting back on it after it.

"What? Horror stories princess style are only allowed when it's yours?" Darcy asked crocking an eyebrow.

"Horror Stories?" Sam asked suddenly incredibly uncomfortable, maybe he should have agreed to get something stronger than coffee, that girl couldn't be older than 22 what kind of horror could she be talking about?

"JARVIS my private file please." She asked and a file appeared on holograms in front of Maria and Sam startling him.

"Ross' experiment? I thought they shut it down after…" But Hill looked at something specific in the file than at Darcy. "I see."

"I highly doubt that." Darcy said chuckling.

Sam read the all file quickly, looking at the dates, the agencies names on the reports, the variation of things that made no senses to him apart from the fact that apparently SHIELD and the Avengers, even before they came together had spent a lot of time either protecting her or looking for her.

"So I am bonded to all of them." Steve coughed when she said that and Sam could immediately tell that it was a bad move from the death glare he received from it. "Except Captain America of course he doesn't have a bond he is a 95 years old martyr who acts like everything on Earth is always his responsibility and his alone."

"Yeah I kind of deserve that one, I am going to leave you to it." Steve started to get up when Darcy growled.

"You're going to sit your ass back down on this couch read that damn file and listen to what I have to say for once or I swear Thor is going to shove Mew-Mew so deep down your throat he'll be able to retrieve it by the other end." Darcy told him pointing an accusing finger on the Captain chest and Sam had never seen the man this shaken before.

"Lewis what's wrong with your eyes?" Maria asked and Sam looked up, the woman's eyes were green where they should be white.

"JARVIS where is Bruce?" Natasha asked sitting Darcy back down to take a few deep breaths.

"I am here." Bruce said sitting on the floor on the other side of Darcy rubbing a hand on her knee.

"Tony?" Steve asked the scientist.

"Better be sleeping." Darcy growled again but Stark came to join them in the room Darcy visibly relaxing at having him there, even more when he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"Clint?" Bruce asked.

"Still in London." Natasha told him.

"Okay let's do this then." Stark told them. "Story time or visual?" He asked. "I kind of like the visual I miss the Big Guy."

"Big Guy?" Maria asked.

"Let's keep it to story time please I want to go back to work after that." Bruce told them.

"Okay I am bonded to all of them. They are NOT bonded to one another." Darcy said quickly. "If I am upset my eyes turn Green and if I don't calm down Hulk tends to show up, weirdly enough he has a calming effect on me like a really good anti-depressant without the dependency problem." She explained rubbing a hand on Bruce's hair.

"I see." Maria said, but honestly Sam doubted she saw anything more than him into this.

"When Tony gets hurt, I feel the physical pain of it." Darcy said. "That's how I ended up in Ross' experiments."

"Dr Ross experimented on you?" Sam asked feeling uncomfortable.

"No, she helped me get out, her father was the one who ordered the experiment he wants to build an army of Hulk bonded to him for that he needs to figure out how it works." Darcy explained.

"So the Ross' spies outside?" Sam asked needing the Intel.

"Here for Bruce and Betty, I am nobody to them or at least we hope so, I wasn't Darcy Lewis when I was a prisoner, I was Max and thanks to the Hellicarriers and SHIELD the Strike Teams members who could have identify me are not a concern anymore." Darcy assured him.

"Natasha?" Maria asked moving thing along.

"If she gets hurt it shows on my body. Bruises, cuts, bullet holes, whatever it is, but no pain though." She assured them squeezing Natasha's hand.

"I never heard of anything like that." Sam said.

"As far as we know she's the only one." Stark explained.

"It's convenient that she's linked to the Avengers though." Maria said suspect-fully.

"JARVIS pull up the video feed please." Darcy said looking at Steve. "Get out." She asked him.

"I want to see it." Steve said when the feed appeared but the video was paused not showing what it was supposed to.

"Get. Out." Darcy hissed at him and Steve went to the kitchen.

The video screen cut off in two halves on one side Darcy talking to Barton and Banner in the kitchen, on the other Natasha in the street running away from the Soldier. It was easy to understand why Darcy showed that moment to them, easy to see on her white dress shirt the blood starting to stain it at the exact moment Natasha got shot and the screams from Banner and Barton when it happened, contrasting with Darcy's calm she didn't even look like she had noticed before she looked down at the blood.

Sam knew why she didn't want Steve to see it, but he also knew the man would ask him what he had seen, not really sure it would be a good idea to explain to him that basically when his brainwashed BFF shot at his current BFF he also almost killed his Girl.

"JARVIS cut it off." Darcy said and Natasha brushed her finger against the girl's arm. "Yeah okay, tell Cap he can come back."

"Still finding it convenient?" Stark asked Maria clearly testing her, he would have no qualm making sure the ex-SHIELD assistant director disappeared if it would assure Darcy's safety.

"How are you even still alive?" Maria asked Darcy.

"Luck?" Darcy shrugged. "Seriously no idea. Though I did die a few times."

"They were not all my fault." Tony protested even though no one had even looked at him.

"Never said it was, even when it was because of you." Darcy told him leaning over Natasha to kiss Stark's cheek.

"What does this make about us?" Sam asked.

"Nothing. You're part of the team you needed to know, in case Tasha gets shot again, or Tony dies, or Hulk shows up I guess, or anything that we haven't figured out yet. Telling you is a mark of trust not a request to join the mad house." Darcy concluded. "Now if you excuse me I think Captain Spangles and I have some things to talk about." She said pointing at the elevator for Steve to follow her.


	38. Fragile Balance between Pains

**Fragile Balance between Pains...**

Darcy and Steve didn't talk, they went to her floor and stared at each other for a long time, she was scared, tired, and angry and every time she started to talk to him she could feel her bond to Hulk tugging. She wanted to yell at Steve for being self-destructive, for not thinking about them when he let Bucky plummeting him to death, for not calling the Tower to say 'we have a problem it's going to be dangerous', but mostly she was mad that he tried to take her responsibilities to the team away from her, disregarding the fact that she knew what she was doing and knew more about the consequences they would face than him. She wanted to yell at him, not for Hulk to smash him to their floor though. Steve was apparently respecting her wishes for Hulk not to get involved, not talking to her, not getting closer, when the time came he went to sleep on the couch without being asked and as much as she would like to hate it she was glad he didn't just went down to his floor dismissing her.

"Clint!" She woke up screaming, tears rolling down her cheeks, Steve sitting next to her brushing her hair out of her face in record time.

"Darce, you were having a nightmare, it's safe, just take a deep breath, it will be okay." Steve told her rubbing soothing hand on her back hugging her.

"I…" she started, trying really hard to remember what she had dreamed about but she remembered bunnies playing around a laughing Hulk no reason for her to be this terrified, especially about Clint.

"Darce?" Steve asked getting her away from him and looking at her concern all over his face.

"I don't think it was a nightmare, I was dreaming about Hulk and bunnies, Clint wasn't there." She explained curling around herself.

"What do you remember?" Steve asked her.

She closed her eyes and thought about it for a while, feeling a shiver running down her bones. "Someone was screaming his name." She tried to remember if there was anything else if they said anything else. "They said 'take me leave him alone'." Darcy said her eyes widening. "That voice I know that voice."

"JARVIS call everyone here." Steve asked.

 _Mister Wilson?_

Steve looked Darcy in the eyes but she was still replaying that voice in her head. "I know that voice."

"Everyone JARVIS." Steve stood up, climb into the bed tugging on all the covers to put them tightly around her. She hadn't even notice she was cold before she felt his hands on her back.

"I know that voice." She repeated again and again until she finally looked up and their bedroom was full of people, she automatically retreated herself closer to Steve who wasted no time getting her into his arms, into his laps so he was surrounding her.

"Where is Clint?" Steve asked.

"London with Ian." Tasha confirmed.

"You talked to him, right?" Steve insisted.

"Not since he landed, he still have 12hours before check in." Tony explained.

"I know that voice." Darcy kept saying trying to replay it again and again trying to mute the voices around her.

"Why the early morning call?" Pepper asked.

"Darcy." Steve pointed at her and Pepper crawled on the bed trying to get a better view of the woman.

"Hey Honey, Everything all right?" Pepper asked her.

"I know that voice." Darcy said a little louder and everyone stopped talking, the hubbub around her disappearing suddenly.

"What voice?" Jane asked.

"I know that voice." Darcy kept saying invariably.

"She said she heard someone calling for Clint." Steve told them.

"You wake us up at 3 am for a nightmare?" Sam asked at the same time Bruce asked "She can hear him again?"

"Bond thing." Steve said to Sam. "Yes" he told Bruce.

"Since when?" Tasha asked.

"Loki." Darcy answered making the voices stop again.

"You heard Loki?" Thor asked concerned.

"No the bond I can hear Clint when I sleep since Loki." Darcy explained knowing that even Clint or Steve didn't know that part.

"How do you know it was not a nightmare?" Tony asked.

"Was dreaming that Hulk was playing with bunnies." Darcy said blushing. "Clint wasn't there." She explained "And that person he wasn't there either."

"Hulk and Bunnies?" Tony asked but Tasha and Pepper silenced him.

"JARVIS where is Barton?" Tony asked.

 _Agent Barton's phone is in his hotel room in London but he doesn't seemed to answer either his cell or the room's phone._

"Can you…?" Darcy said stopping herself. "JARVIS, Clint took Buddy with him, use him to see if someone is actually in the room?"

 _Buddy appears to be disconnected Miss Lewis._

"He is what?" Steve cried out.

"Who's Buddy?" Sam asked and Tasha explained to him the principle of Darcy's personal Bodyguard.

"How can he be disconnected? I am the only one who can do that?" Darcy said.

 _I cannot find him._

"Tony!" Darcy pleaded.

"I am on it." Tony pulled out a control panel from the bedroom wall and started typing away lost to them.

"Darcy what do you remember?" Tasha asked and Darcy shook her head, she didn't remember anything more than what she had already told Steve, apart from the feeling of being scared to death and cold that was still creeping inside her.

"Someone cried out his name and said he should be taken instead of Clint." Darcy told them but Tasha knew her better than that. "I can't reach him anymore Tasha, not like with Loki he is still here but he cut me off." She explained tears flowing down her cheeks again, hyperventilating.

"Darcy, look at me." Sam said kneeling in front of her. "Take a deep breath," when she did it he continued "another. Great keep going. Perfect. Could you close your eyes for me?" Darcy nodded and did it immediately starting to fall into a deep cold again fighting against Steve who was holding her. "Darcy you're at the tower you're safe, just breathe with Steve." Sam told her and Darcy felt Steve taking deep breath. "You said you knew the voice you heard." Sam told her and she automatically heard the voice again.

"Hunter." Darcy breathed out.

"What's Hunter doing with Clint?" Tasha asked surprised.

"Security detail for Ian, he is the one Clint couldn't reach after SHIELD fell." Maria told them.

"Who's Hunter?" Steve asked.

"Bobby's latest ex-husband." Tasha explained.

"Not the time Tasha." Darcy chastised her.

"Fine, Great Britain finest specialist." Tasha said "Better?"

"He is your friend." Darcy told her.

"I know." Tasha growled worry on her voice.

"JARVIS find Hunter, first name Lance." Darcy ordered.

 _Captain Hunter was in agent Barton's room earlier, I can't find any video feeds of them after Buddy went down._

"It was just a nightmare right?" Darcy asked her voice pleading them to tell her it was just a nightmare.

"We don't know Honey." Pepper said taking Darcy in her arms.

"It was just a dream, please, tell me it was just a dream." She pleaded again but no one seemed to want to agree with her.

"Everybody out of the room." Steve told them. Darcy didn't know what they did but Steve sighed. "Living room, now."

"It's just a nightmare." Darcy said burying herself into his collarbone when Pepper released her.

"I wish so. I am sorry Darcy. I should have called to tell you what we were doing, I should have made sure Nat wasn't shot." Steve told her but Darcy stopped him by kissing him deeply.

"Clint now, I'll yell at you later." She told him before pulling the covers off herself, shivering instantly. "You could…" She said tugging herself back under the covers. Steve chuckled but sweep her off the bed keeping her in his arms putting her between Pepper and Jane on the couch, the two women quickly snuggling against their friends.

"Could you find out anything more?" Betty asked.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore." Darcy admitted defeated, it would be the best possibility but it terrified her just to think about it.

"I could give you something." Betty suggested but Darcy shook her head.

"We still don't know how it would work on them, and I don't know if the connection would work on induced sleep." Darcy told her.

"You could…" Jane said holding a hand in front of Darcy as if it explained anything.

"It doesn't work." Darcy told her sternly.

"I think it does, and I think you just don't want to use it." Jane told her and everyone starred at her, Jane had never used such a cold voice on Darcy.

"You don't think I would do anything to find out where Clint is?" Darcy spitted out.

"Honestly? No, I don't think you would. I think you're scared. I think you're hoping they'll find out something like the Convergence is happening and that's why JARVIS can't contact him. I think you're hoping for them to find him so you won't have to admit anything to them." Jane yelled at her.

"Jane!" Thor cried out taking the little scientist away from Darcy but she was back so quickly Darcy suspected someone had told Thor to release her.

"I love him, Jane." Darcy yelled back.

"I know Darce." She said snuggling Darcy against her. "And they love you, it's not going to change, you could do it, you could help bring your man back home."

"What if it doesn't work?" Darcy asked. "It had never worked before."

"The others, we'll keep looking for them with JARVIS the old fashion way." Jane assured her. "Darcy what are you more afraid about? That it doesn't work? Or of what they'll think when it does?"

"I…" Darcy took a minute to look at everyone. "I don't know."

"Okay, Bonded People, hers, go in the Hulk proof room." Jane ordered.

"Hulk proof room?" Bruce asked.

"Oh yeah I am not leaving anything to chances." Jane told them.

"No I mean what happens there?" Bruce asked.

"You'll see." Jane said turning toward Pepper. "We're going to need coffee and phones and everything Maria can think off to work the old fashion way, maybe Rhodey too."

"He is already upstairs." Maria admitted biting her tongue.

"I'm not going to comment now, but does the word 'everyone' mean nothing to him?" Tony asked surprised.

"Wouldn't have been able to help much more anyway." Maria countered "but now we'll have more resources to find Barton."

"Everybody out." Jane said pushing people out until only Darcy and Steve were left behind. "You have 2 minutes."

"Darce?" Steve asked gathering her in his arms.

"You're going to hate me, all of you." She mumbled and he got on knees so he was at eye level.

"I don't know what's going on, but I highly doubt any of those people upstairs would ever hate you." He said scrubbing away her tears.

"You can't know that." She protested.

"No Baby you're right I can't promise you that everything will be alright with all of them, but they wouldn't hate you not for trying to find Clint." Steve told her.

"I hid things from them, from all of you, it's going to hurt a lot." Darcy told him restraining herself from snuggling against him.

"We'll work on it later." Steve told her before leaning in and kissing her. "I love you, all of you, bonds and wits and 21st century weirdness included and I want you to know that now so when I tell it to you after we get Clint back you'll know I still mean it."

Darcy nodded getting up to join the others stopping before she opened the door. "You need to stay with the others." She told him. "Please. I will never be able to do it knowing you're waiting for me to bring him back."

"I am not…" Steve started and she knew he was going to say he was not waiting for her to bring back Clint, he wanted to stay with her, make sure she was safe but she didn't want to hear him.

"I know but I'll still think it if you're there." She told him and he acquiesced.

They went up to the common room where everyone except Tasha, Bruce and Tony were waiting for them.

"Thor, can you make Mew-Mew sparkle if you're not in the room?" Darcy asked him and Thor nodded. "Great! Can you put her in the room and then come back and sit on Steve so he won't move from here?" She asked shrugging when Steve rolled his eyes at her.

"It will be an honor little sister." Thor said and left the room.

"You all find Clint. No one comes near the Hulk Room unless JARVIS says so." Darcy said and everyone agreed.

Darcy went to the Hulk proof room and waited for Thor to leave Mjolnir at the center of the room sitting next to it until JARVIS sealed the door behind the God.

"Okay let's make something really clear, I did all this for all of you, I don't want to hear about how I should have said something or how you're sorry because I am not." She said looking accusingly at her bond mates who nodded lips seal shut. "Bruce I need Hulk." She said looking at her friend.

"Yeah I figured." The mild scientist said taking his clothes off only keeping his Hulk spangled pants on. "You better tell me what happened afterward." He said slowly disappearing.

"What Hulk doing here?" Hulk told her sitting down next to her.

"Clint disappeared, I am going to do something that should help find him, or at least Jane think it will help." Darcy said sighing.

"Hulk help find Cupid." He told her and Darcy chuckled.

"It's going to hurt all of you like hell." She said looking at them. "And I mean both physically and emotionally." But once again she only got nods from them.

"How about you explain what you want to do?" Tony asked.

"I can open the bonds more." Darcy told them and Tony nodded.

"Yeah we all figured you were holding out on us, you're the only one with side effects." Tony said.

"Jane has a theory, the Tesseract created the bonds, like Clint told Nick before Loki appeared..." Darcy sighed at Tasha displeased look. "Yes Tasha, I saw the videos we all saw them. Clint was right the Tesseract is a door, you can open a door from both sides. Tess is a portal between everywhere in the universe and herself, she let Loki in, opened the portal for the Chitauri, send Thor and Loki back to Asgard the only common point was her." Darcy started to explain.

"Why didn't I thought about that?" Tony complained groaning.

"Thought about what?" Tasha inquired.

"If Tess created the bonds based on her own powers than Darcy can connect to us in the same way, like a door to our side of the bond, the tiny things like feelings are only going through the keyhole." Tony started to explain.

"The side effects would be what then?" Tasha asked.

"Well to keep the door metaphor, interspace, I guess." Darcy said getting surprised look from Tasha and Tony.

"I would have guess at least slightly open door." Tony said.

"No not even unlooked it." Darcy explained "it's like the sound or fresh air getting under the door you just need to put something in to block it out completely."

"What the…?" Tasha started but suddenly looked at Darcy in shock.

"I guess the first peak the one that created the bonds, your ankle that still hurt when it broke that was leaving the door slightly open just enough for the light to come out." Darcy told her.

"What do you want to do now?" Tony asked.

"Jane thinks that I could use it to do more, the same way I do less now, we've been trying to make it work but I only get smaller things to work." Darcy evaded the question.

"Darcy!" Tasha screamed at her.

"Fine, if I open the bond completely and I could…" Darcy stopped again making them groan. "It's not easy to explain okay."

"Just try." Tony told her.

"Okay the way I see it, to keep going with the doors, is if I was a corridor with a door for each of you, like Tony said the feelings and all little things filter through the keyholes, once in a while something bigger tries to get out and slip beneath the door and I get the side effects, Jane thinks that if I open the doors everything could just mingle in the corridor and you could all feel each other's presence." Darcy finally spitted out.

"You want to blow out the bonds?" Tasha asked.

"Only temporarily they'll be in me and I'll feel all of them more intensely. Jane, Thor and I were talking about how I can never know if Clint is hurt, or if you're in pain, or how I can't take away Tony's pain even though Hulk could do it." Darcy explained. "So we thought it was worth the try, and then you got shot and I thought what if in the next mission Clint gets shot but no one can tell because he is far away, it would be better if one of you could borrow the bonds, maybe you'll even be able to calm down Hulk when I am not around after battles and he doesn't want Bruce to come back right away."

"That actually sounds like a really good plan." Tony told her.

"But it's not working." Darcy sighed.

"You didn't have us before you should try again." Tasha said.

"It's going to hurt a lot, and you're going to have to get over it to listen to Clint." Darcy told them. "I wish Phil was still here images would have been better."

"We'll make do, plus we know pain we'll be fine." Tony said.

"I really wish you would take this more seriously." Darcy sighed but let it go, they'll see what she meant if her little game with Clint on pleasure was any indication even torture was not close enough to let them know what was going to happen.

"Darcy now." Tasha growled.

"Your choice." Darcy told them getting in front of Hulk. "Hey Big Guy, it's going to hurt a lot and I am very sorry." She told him but he snorted at her. "I need you to agree to this Hulk, I want to use our bond to protect Clint from the pain."

"Hulk help Cupid." Hulk confirmed.

"You can't help me! You have to let me do what I want with it even if I am crying or screaming in pain, we need Clint to be calm and safe and for the people who have him not to know what's going on." Hulk nodded and Darcy went back to sit next to the Hammer.

"Why bring Mjolnir into this?" Tony finally asked.

"Sensory help." Darcy said shrugging.

"You're going to electrocute yourself." Tasha said pulling her away from it.

"You have a better way for me to not block it out accidentally because I really don't want to do it and I need something to get past that." Darcy yelled at her and Tasha released her. "Sit down."

Once they were all seated around her she took a few deep breaths thinking about Clint and opening the little nice door, the one that would let him remember her love for him, extending it to the others.

"That's not so bad." Tony commented. "Really nice even"

"I am not done." She said "JARVIS tell Thor it's time." She waited a minute getting both hands on Mjolnir, certainly the time Jane needed to convince the God to do her bidding as he had never liked that part of their experiment, "Come one Mew-Mew it's just you and me, I know you want to help me, I can feel you." She said and the Hammer started humming under her fingers, electricity growing in intensity.

Darcy could feel her bonds closing instead of opening. "We had an agreement girly! Don't let me down now, I really need to find Clint." Darcy ordered the Hammer and a big vibe of electricity run through her opening all the bonds.

Tony, Tasha and Hulk all screaming around her. "I just need to find the right…" She said waiting a minute more muting the voices around her. "There." She said visualizing a thread getting from Clint's bond to theirs instead of hers, connecting them thread by thread.

The next things she heard were voices around her, the steady beating of her heart rate on the medical equipment.

"Darce!" Jane said jumping on her bed.

Darcy started to cry not because she was hurting or scared but because it didn't work she was still feeling them all, still hearing Hunter.

"I can hear him." Darcy said sitting up hurriedly.

"Who?" Pepper asked from a chair next to her bed.

"Wait!" Darcy said looking around her, Maria and Betty were reading her chart, and Jane was on her bed, Pepper by her side. "Where are they?"

"They went to get Hunter and Clint." Maria told her.

"You found him?" Darcy said hopeful.

"You don't remember?" Pepper asked.

"I remember trying but that's all." Darcy explained.

"Our guess is that Clint was unconscious so you fall asleep too." Betty explained.

"But that never happened before." Darcy told her.

"I am pretty sure Romanoff and Stark aren't supposed to be covered in bruises and broken bones either." Maria told her still not looking up at her. "You said you're hearing someone, who is it?" She finally asked her.

"Ian." Darcy told them listening for a while to be sure. "But he is not a prisoner, he is asking questions about the Avengers and me and Buddy, he is asking where the Asset is, he is Hydra." Darcy looked around herself. "Why aren't you calling to tell them?" She asked.

"If you hear it they do too or they would have called to say otherwise." Maria brushed off.

"Oh God I hope It will be easier to turn off." Darcy groaned.

"No one wants to hear your sex life…" Jane confirmed and everybody stopped talking. "Shit".

"What's going on?" Darcy asked but Tony answered for her. "It's not 100% proof, we can heard around Clint but we can hear everything around you too, and around each other. It's going to take some practice."

"Could you just all shut up we're almost there." Tasha told them and everyone waited for Clint and Hunter to be back safe with them.

"What's going on with my head? You're all in it." Clint asked.

"Oh mate stop complaining would you, you're giving me a headache." Hunter joked.

"Tasha I think Hunter needs some recalibration." Darcy said followed quickly by "ow" "thank you Tasha."

"Hulk recalibrate." Darcy heard and couldn't help to laugh.

"He'll be fine, he's just taking a much needed nap." Tasha told them.

"Okay attention people of everywhere." Darcy said. "How do I turn it off?"

"Recalibration." Tasha suggested and now that they were back in the Quinjet JARVIS had opened a line for everyone to communicate which led to Jane slapping Darcy on the back of the head.

"Ouch" Darcy said. "It didn't even work."

"I figured it was my idea I should help reverse it." Jane shrugged.

"I have an idea, you're not going to like." Tony said.

"Go on." Darcy told him.

"Hulk needs to let go." Tony said and Darcy wondered if Hulk had been there the all-time.

"You told him to take Clint's pain away he is doing a marvelous job at it. Feel his pain and you'll be back to wanting to protect us from it." Tony suggested and Darcy had to admit he was right.

"How bad is it?" Darcy asked.

"We're not telling you." Tasha told her.

Darcy took a deep breath and nodded. "Hulk you need to let Bruce come back." Betty told him.

"Hulk protect Cupid." He protested.

"It's okay Big Guy I can take it." Clint told him but Darcy could hear voices further away Sam saying he wasn't so sure about that, Tasha telling him to shut the Hell up.

"It's okay don't do it I'll find a way, just stay with Clint please." Darcy pleaded hearing another 'ow' on the back ground, certainly from Sam. "Just everybody shut up."

Darcy tried to find that place in her where she had knitted her threads together, taking Tony's to herself first, than Tasha, closing their doors, watching a bruise forming on her forearm, deciding to let Clint and Hulk together for now.

"Betty do you think Bruce is going to be mad if Hulk stays until they get back here? It's been a long time." Darcy asked the nice doctor.

"He'll be okay, he already went longer." Betty told her.

"Tasha, Tony feeling better?" Darcy asked.

"Don't take it the wrong way Darce but Hell yeah." Tony confirmed.

"We're going to have to talk." Tasha told her.

"Later" she said, she was getting sleepy people would wake her up when they'll get there so she could sleep a little maybe.


	39. and rewards

**...and Rewards**

Natasha didn't really wait to know how Clint was doing. She surprised Betty when she bypassed the woman on her way out of the Quinjet, leaving Clint and Hunter as well as Sam to the care of the others she had things she needed to do. Getting down to Darcy's room she had passed Pepper and Maria talking about Maria becoming the Assistant Directors of the Avengers, but she'd get to it later. Last but not least she had to get Jane out of the room she didn't have to knock on the door as it was half open. Okay she was pretty sure she didn't exactly lied when she told the scientist Thor was looking for her, the Asgardian wouldn't complain about seeing her anyway.

Natasha closed the door behind Jane, asking JARVIS took lock it, and getting annoyed that she had to promise she wasn't here to arm Darcy in anyway. She got onto the bed, taking the place Jane had just vacate and waited for Darcy to wake up brushing the young woman's hair out of her face.

"Hi there." She whispered when Darcy started to move.

"Tasha?" She mumble her voice sleepy hands rubbing at her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Natasha asked her and Darcy nodded slowly.

"Why are you here with me?" Darcy looked at her suddenly wide eyes.

"Nothing happened, I just wanted to be with you." Natasha assured her.

"Mm'kay." Darcy slurred closing her eyes back. "My head feels weird." She added after a while.

"We gave some of the good stuff to Clint, even Hulk was a little foggy by the time we landed." Natasha explained chuckling when Darcy made a face. "Darce?" Natasha whispered.

"Are you going to yell at me? Because I rather wait a little for that." Darcy told her snuggling herself against the red-head.

"No yelling necessary." Tasha explained kissing her forehead.

"Not that I am complaining but why are you staying with me? What happened to Clint?" Darcy asked her, and yeah maybe Natasha deserved the suspicion on that point.

"He's getting stitch up, the others stayed with him." Natasha told her, sure that it was the truth, Clint had several cut all over is body and a broken leg but he would be fine, Hunter had been beaten up but he would be fine too, and Sam well she would yell at him later for getting himself between her and a bullet, no one was allowed to do that, even if he only got grazed by it.

"Tasha?" The brunette insisted.

"You should use me." Natasha finally told her. She had thought about what Darcy had explained, if they could find a way to share the bonds during missions, things would go smoother, and after what they had experienced the previous night it might also be easier for Darcy.

The experiment in the Hulk room had been intense for everyone, she didn't know what it did to Tony apart from the pain they all felt at first but it brought back all those feelings Natasha had been trying to forget, the pain from growing up in the Red Room mixed up with Darcy's own upbringing, the avoidance of feelings she tried so hard not to let into her life, things she didn't even remembered had happened to her, blocked out from her memories.

"Tasha!" Darcy cried out pushing herself away, almost falling of the bed. "No!"

"Calm down, I just want you to think about it." Natasha told her, it was only part of the truth but maybe it was enough for now.

"I don't even remember what happened last night." Darcy admitted.

"JARVIS could show you." Natasha suggested.

"No, I saw the video, watched it with Jane, it doesn't help." Darcy explained. "I don't like hurting you."

"You didn't…" Natasha was about to say more but really if Darcy had seen the video there was no point telling her she didn't hurt them. "Yeah okay it hurt, but it would get better with practice."

"Or you could just give up because it's not going to happen." Darcy told her.

"You can't keep it all inside Darce, or someday it will consume you." Natasha tried, but she was tactless, she should have took more time to figure out what to say. Darcy started to get away from Natasha again, tensing up. "No! Wait! It's not what I meant." She told her grabbing her wrist.

"Then what do you mean? Because I can do without one of you saying I can't take care of any of you properly twice in one week." Darcy said.

"Steve was focused on Barnes, he shouldn't have said what he did." Natasha agreed.

"No he shouldn't have." Darcy mumbled.

"I…" Natasha started immediately stopping to take the time to think about it before she put her foot in her mouth again. "Darce, I don't want you to wake up one day and hate us for all we put you through." Darcy was about to interrupt her so she put her hand over her mouth and waited for the young woman to nod to retrieve it. "You should have told us about all of it, I know we are kind of overprotective." Darcy snorted. "A lot, we're super-heroes Darcy it's our job to protect you, not the other way around." Darcy was going to interrupt her again. "I didn't know." Natasha finally said staying silent for a while.

"Tasha?" Darcy asked knocking gently on her forehead as if to check that someone was still in there.

"I saw the bruises and the cuts on you after the Chitauri Attack, and I was there when Tony went to surgery but I guess I never really got my head around how it felt or how it worked. The boys you share stuff with them, you never did with me before." Natasha explained to her. "I know it's not your fault." She said before Darcy could protest. "It's one more thing the Red Room/SHIELD/Hydra took from me I guess. But you know what? When we were looking for Clint and Hunter, I could finally feel what all the fuss was about, I felt really lonely. I want to earn it back."

Darcy stand there looking at her, nodding, she was smart girl, Natasha might have just opened her mind to her but it didn't mean she wanted to talk about it.

"I'll think about it." Darcy agreed. "Did Sam really took a bullet for you?" She then asked playfully, and Natasha nodded. "Want to girl-talk about it?" Darcy offered.

"Want to girl-talk about your feelings for Cap?" Natasha countered, watching as Darcy lose all color getting really pale suddenly.

"I didn't meant to share that." Darcy let out.

"You told me you were in Love with Clint, and I never had any doubt about that, still don't, didn't even know someone could love any one this much, so what's up with Steve?" Natasha asked, because Darcy didn't only shared bad stuff when the doors opened, her mind was too full of all the sentiments she felt for the team to be only painful.

"Are you going to get mad if I tell you I love him too?" Darcy asked and sounded small and unsure. Natasha had listened to Darcy lecturing President Mattews over where he could or could not park his car when he came to visit the new and improved Avengers Tower but she got scared about Natasha's opinion of her.

"Not mad just want to be sure no one gets hurt." Natasha admitted. "Someone is bound to get hurt, either you, because you only be able to love one of them, or Clint because he will find out and think he isn't worth being love anyway." She explained.

"Clint knows." Darcy blurred out putting her hand over her mouth immediately, Natasha eyed her for a few seconds trying to decide what to ask first. "So Sam, he seems like a nice guy."

"Don't even try." Natasha told her.

"Come on Tasha, it's Clint of course he knows, we spend all of our free time all three of us, you really think I'd be able to hide something like that from him?" Darcy said sitting up on the bed. "Will you calm down if I told you he is taking it really well?"

"No, he's not, he probably only says so to make you happy." Natasha told her regretting it immediately when Darcy glared at her.

"You don't know what you're talking about, and that sort of outburst is exactly why I don't tell you things." She spat at Natasha. "Clint loves me, and I love him, and loving Steve doesn't change that, I would never let Clint even think he is worthless to me or to anyone else, none of you are." Darcy put her feet on the ground but stayed on the bed her back at Natasha. "I know he is you BFF, your savior, your brother, whatever you want to call it, but can't you trust me, even just a little? I mean you're asking me to trust you with the most personal thing I could ever give to someone why would I do it when you don't trust me back?"

"I used to trust people, learned it was a dangerous way to live my life." Natasha told her and Darcy looked back over her shoulder with sad eyes.

"I am not Hydra." Darcy told her. "If you can't trust me with them, I really don't know what I am doing here." She said getting out of the bed and promptly falling, probably still wobbly on the pain meds they gave Clint.

Natasha got out of the bed and sat down next to her knowing better than to try and help Darcy before she either ask or was forced to do it.

"What do you mean with them?" Natasha asked making sure Darcy hadn't hurt herself when she fell.

"You think Steve doesn't know?" Darcy asked with a smile that was more telling than the question itself.

"Are you even going out with any of them?" Natasha finally asked because for all this talk about love between Clint and Darcy, and not counting how many times she had told the man to make a move already, she had never seen them do more than cuddle, everywhere in the tower.

"Both." Darcy hissed making a face.

"Really?" Natasha inquired her voice a little more curious than she would have liked.

"Before you start shovel-talk me, it was their idea not mine, well no it was Steve's idea and Clint agreed if we're getting into details." Darcy said playing with her thumbs.

"Okay." Natasha whispered after a few minutes of silence. "Let's get you back under the covers." She told her taking her hands to haul her up.

"What? You're just going to say 'okay' and that's it?" Darcy asked surprised.

"No but I want to talk to Clint and Steve first if they both love you back than I don't see why I should interfere, you deserve to be loved too." Natasha admitted shrugging.

"It's really that simple?" Darcy asked still not believing her.

"Well I have questions but it will wait, at least until you're out of here." Natasha said.

"That was too easy, I feel like I am missing something big." Darcy told her.

"Darcy I got a glimpse of what we are doing to you, you're bonded to 4 Avengers, dating one of your bond and one you're not bonded with, Stark and Potts act like they are your parents, Thor calls you his little sister and Jane acts like you really are hers, Betty will forever feel like she owes the world to you and you were really scared of what I would think about it?" Natasha finally asked.

"I want you to like me." Darcy admitted looking at the sheets on the bed.

"Is it really that important?" Natasha asked watching a single tear roll over Darcy's cheek. "I was taught not to get attached to people Darcy, being around the Avengers, around you, it's a work in progress, but you're strong, and fearless, and smart, and you can outwit Stark, run an entire logical conversation with Pepper, teach Steve and Thor about our century while making sure no one blows up the house, you're pretty impressive." She told her taking her chin in her hand to lift it so she could look into her eyes, "I like you just fine. But don't hurt them."

"If you ever need to kill me please drop me into a volcano, I want my death to be epic." Darcy told her.

"They gave him another dose don't they?" Natasha sighed.

"Not that I am aware of." Darcy told her crooking an eyebrow. "Tasha?" She heard the little voice again.

"Yes." She said turning back to her.

"Where is Buddy?" Darcy asked and Natasha stopped, of course they took Buddy back with them but how could she explain what happened?

"Ian, he used an EMP on Buddy and..." Natasha trailed off, it's was just a robot but she knew Darcy had been treating him like he was her kid, teaching him things, grounding him when he missed behaved. 'Oh wait she was doing that with all of them' Natasha thought groaning.

"He killed him didn't he?" Darcy asked resolve clear in her voice.

"Tony says he can put him back together." Natasha said before realizing she had just told more than she meant to when Darcy started to cry. "Ian, he took out the reactor and some other parts trying to make a viable instruction manual for Hydra to have their own Iron Man."

"How do you know?" Darcy asked.

"Hunter, he said he and Clint tried to protect Buddy, to distract Ian and his men from looking into the little guy but apparently Clint coming to get them with Buddy instead of you had really mess up Hydra's plan." Natasha explained.

"They wanted to kidnap me?" Darcy asked surprised.

"Well Ian might not have known about the bonds but he knew your position inside the Initiative." Natasha told her.

"Oh!" Darcy exclaimed. "Is it weird that I never even thought about getting kidnapped about that?"

"Weird no. Bad yes." Natasha told her. "And part of the reason why we need to practice bond sharing, so if it happens you'll be able to tell us immediately. We're going to train too, you, Jane, Betty, Pepper, whoever we bring on."

"Sounds tiring." Darcy sighed.

"Not now." Natasha confirmed with a soft smile.

"Am I ever going to get out of the tower again?" Darcy asked her eyes slowly closing again.

"Not quite sure about that, I have to talk to Mom and Dad about it." Natasha joked willing her to stay awake.

"Tell them I don't want another pony." Darcy joked back. "By the way you will all write down about a million times, 'I am bad at vetting people'" Darcy joked, but the team had talked about that, they had really messed up, trusting SHIELD background check on the young assistant instead of doing the work themselves.

"Someone should have told me Hunter was the missing agent." she mumbled after a few minutes of silence.

"Why?" Natasha asked curious.

"I would have send the entire team after him not just Clint, I trust him a lot more than I trusted Ian." Darcy explained

"It's nice to feel appreciated Love." Hunter said from behind them, Natasha had heard someone come in a few minutes before but assumed it was either Steve or Thor wanting to check on them.

"Hunter!" Darcy cried out sitting up suddenly. "I would totally run to you and jump into your arms, but I am totally buzzed and I heard you have fractured ribs." She told him gesturing for him to come closer.

"On the bright side, I don't owe Barton any favors anymore." He told her making his way on the other side of the bed to hug her.

"I was meaning to ask but how do you two even know each other?" Natasha had been trying to figure it out since Darcy had recognized his voice in the middle of the night.

"Security detail while I was in London, I told you I didn't like the idea of SHIELD following me everywhere, Steve and Clint compromised by calling in Hunter, if you had stayed more than 20 hours you would have known." Darcy explained looking more awake now.

"I came to retrieve you, JARVIS, love the English accent by the way, said you wouldn't mind. Dr Ross is battling with her staff, they seem to not want to keep either of you on this level for the night." Hunter explained.

"Barton complained?" Natasha asked, seriously sometimes she wondered why none of the SHIELD medical team ever killed him by 'accident'.

"Not a pip. Wilson however." Hunter said. "And honestly I am not a fan either."

 _Dr Ross asks if you need assistance bringing Miss Lewis into Agent Barton's room._

Natasha crocked an eyebrow at that, silently asking Hunter what the AI was talking about.

"The nice Doc says she is only going over this once." Hunter shrugged.

"Yeah, English Man you're cute and all, but I can't walk and none of you can carry me into another room." Darcy said poking at Hunter's ribs to prove her point.

"Do not fear, Lady Darcy I came to carry you." Thor said entering the room.

"There are too much men on this team." She fake complained giggling when Thor carried her fireman style. "Please tell me Maria is staying, and I want the next person we enroll to be female, JARVIS did you record that?"

 _Of course Miss Lewis, I'll do my best to remind those gentlemen of this goal._

"Wait!" Natasha stopped them and Darcy looked at her frowning from her position up-side down the God's shoulder. "Thor put her down."

"What's wrong?" Darcy asked frown still in place.

"Clint, he is fine, probably enjoying the pain meds, but I want you to know what you're walking into." Natasha told her and watched as Darcy closed herself up a little bit. "He has a broken leg, and he fall onto the glass coffee table in the hotel room, so he has a lot of tiny cuts, he was handcuffed and beaten, so he has a lot of bruises and the cuffs cut off into the skin when he tried to take them off i assume" and Hunter nodded. "He also has two broken fingers." She finished looking at Hunter and Thor she had left them at the Quinjet didn't know if there was anything more she didn't know about.

"Punctured lung from a single broken rib." Hunter added.

They looked as Darcy tried to form words but shut her mouth pushing the door of the room open, suddenly able to walk on her own at least to the bed, where Clint was waiting for her pushing himself on one side so she could climb on after he had nodded his ascent.

"Hey, Baby Girl. Sorry I couldn't save Buddy." Clint told her looking for all the world as if no one else but her, was in the room, and again Natasha wondered if he was as okay as Darcy seemed to think he was with her dating Steve too.

"Tony will fix him." Darcy said, sounding convinced, not even a doubt in her mind. "Should have told me Hunter was missing."

"I will next time." Clint told her.

"I don't plan on getting kidnapped again any time soon, if anybody is interested." Hunter protested but really Clint and Darcy couldn't care less.

Betty came into the room pushing pass Thor, followed by Tony, Pepper, Sam, who stayed away from Natasha and Steve who leaned against the wall trying really hard not to look at the bed. Natasha remembered how already in the Quinjet he had insisted on taking care of Sam not getting anywhere near Clint. This was definitely messed up.

"Listen up people. In an ideal world I'll keep all 6 of you here, though Tony and Natasha's injuries seemed to have disappeared. But it's not our first rodeo, and the level can't be lock down anymore, so this how it's going to happen." Betty said taking a paper out of her jacket. "Someone get Clint and Darcy to their bed" she said to the assemble, "you're staying on the same bed because I know you won't sleep if you don't, but Clint has a broken rib and several bruised ones so no cuddling." Natasha looked as they both pouted but nodded.

"Children" she sighed.

"If no one object I rather Hunter and Wilson sleep on the 59th floor too it will be easier for me to come and check everybody up." Betty asked sighing heavily.

"We have the spare rooms." Darcy agreed, and Natasha noticed that she was referring to her floor as theirs. "Why our floor though why not the family one?" Darcy asked.

"Security measure." Tony told her. "Your floor is easier to lock you into and has a private staircase that only goes to the labs in case we need an escape plan."

"It does?" Darcy asked crocking an eyebrow. "Why didn't I know that?"

"We built your floor to be a panic floor Darcy, it doesn't even appear on the elevator." Pepper explained.

"That I knew." Darcy exclaimed. "So slumber party?"

"No, everyone needs to sleep." Betty protested.

"JARVIS, Tony isn't allowed to work on Buddy until ..." Darcy looked for a clock and sighed when she didn't find one, Natasha rolling her eyes and shoving her wrist at her face. "Thanks, until 10."

 _I'll make sure to write protocols to that avail._

The AI sounded weird and as soon as Tony left the room with a forehead kiss for Darcy, Natasha knew why.

"You're going to help him work on it, aren't you?" Darcy said glaring at the ceiling.

 _It would only help getting him to bed faster._

"Pepper." Darcy whined and the woman came to kiss her goodbye too.

"I'll take care of it." She told the young girl smirking when she faced Natasha before adding. "JARVIS we're going to need a lot of coffee and ask Rhodey if he wants to come and play with Tony." Making everyone chuckle when Darcy complained about being the only adult in this tower.

Somehow they managed to put every injured people in a bed in the 59th floor. Hunter complained in large about how Sam's bathroom was bigger than his, until Sam offered to swap, and Hunter said it was okay Sam did save him from Hydra after all.

Natasha looked as Thor carry Clint into Darcy's bed, laying him down easily, the man turning on his less injured side to look as Steve put Darcy in the bed next to him. Thor told them good bye and Steve was about to do the same when Clint grabbed his wrist.

"Get your ass in bed." Clint pleaded with him.

"She is mad at me." Steve gestured to Darcy who groaned and turned to look at him.

"I told you 'Clint now, I'll yell at you later.'" Darcy said tugging on Steve arm until he was lying next to her on the bed. "Stop behaving like a baby." She said smacking his thigh getting him to turn on his side to cuddle against her.

Natasha had to admit, Clint was smiling, it was a little pained, but since he was rubbing a hand on his ribs she would bet it wasn't coming from the sight before him.

"Someone should really kiss me good night." Clint fake complained, laughter in his voice, they seemed to have totally forgotten about Natasha's presence in the room.

"Hum..." Darcy said looking at him hauling herself up a little and putting a gentle kiss on Clint's split lips. "Good night." She said chuckling before snuggling herself back into Steve's arms. Steve extended a hand to rub his fingers into Clint's hair, reminding Natasha that maybe they should all have taken a shower at some point when it came out with grim and dry blood on it. "Night." Cap said and Clint was out like a light, having no doubt taken more of the good meds before they left the medical floor.

Natasha went further into the room moving away some of the things piled up in the corner armchair to sit herself, she won't go away until she knew for sure Clint was good, he was going to wake up with nightmare he always did and she wanted to help, plus she had promised Betty she'll take the first ''med distribution' shift. Darcy waved at her mouthing 'Good night' before closing her eyes, behind her Steve was already out his face hidden behind Darcy's dark hair.

Natasha had been right. She would have loved for it not to be the case but nightmares tended to trouble everyone's sleep on a night like this. Sam had been the first one, coming out of his room in silence and easily finding his way to Darcy's room taking a kitchen chair to sit next to Natasha but really it didn't look comfortable so she tugged him in with her on the armchair using him as a pillow to fall back to sleep, she would think about it later.

Hunter followed soon after taking one look at the bed, one look at the armchair sighing heavily going to the living room only to come back to the master bedroom with the couch cushions piled up making himself a bed on the floor between the bed and the chair.

"JARVIS you better be recording this." Natasha whispered before adding. "Send it to Betty, tell her I'll take all the shifts."

Steve woke up once and winked at her when he saw Sam next to her making her roll her eyes gesturing for him to look at his owns arms, making him release Darcy self-consciously before Natasha shook her head telling him to get back to it.

Darcy only woke up when Clint started to whimper in his sleep the beginning of a nightmare creeping out, Natasha was about to dislodge herself from Sam to come and wake Clint the only way she knew how, even though with the room full of people slipping a gun in his hand didn't seem all that smart, even an unloaded one, but Darcy put a hand in the air stopping her, gesturing for her to sit back down, putting a finger on her lips when the movement around them also woke up Sam and Hunter.

Natasha washed as Darcy woke Steve up, making sure he couldn't see the people awaken around them by distracting him. She took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers before sliding herself under him slightly rolling them over until he was over her, eyes open in surprise.

"Clint's having a nightmare." She told him and Steve lowered himself to peck her lips before placing himself between Clint and Darcy, who peak over his shoulder when he turned toward Clint.

Steve put a hand firmly on the back of Clint's neck and spoke softly.

"You're home, you're safe whoever is scaring you I'll take care of them." He told the archer who opened his eyes almost instantly looking for a few second at Steve, before sighing softly trying to move closer to the super soldier but groaning in pain.

Darcy got Natasha's attention back to her by waving her hand, which looked really tiny on Cap's waist, and she mouthed 'Sorry'. Natasha crooked an eyebrow at her until Sam poked her ribs pointing out Clint and Steve who were still spoking so softly she couldn't make out what they were saying, but between Clint's lips reading abilities and Steve's enhanced hearing it wasn't that surprising. Natasha looked at them for a while, shrugging, she couldn't help Sam she had no ideas what they were talking about but the man rolled his eyes at her telling her to keep looking.

"I know we have a dangerous work you will get hurt again but don't ever get kidnap again it's terrifying." Steve finally said aloud tugging Darcy closer to him with the hand that was holding hers on his stomach. "I love you."

Natasha was confused for a second then Clint answered. "I don't want to be a secret anymore, not having you around tonight was worse than torture." She wanted to shout 'What the hell?', but Sam put his hand over her mouth and kicked Hunter who was about to comment too.

"I'll babysit Tony, I'm stuck here anyway we'll tell everyone tomorrow." Darcy told the two men kissing Steve's shoulder. Natasha watched as Clint and Steve both nodded fervently at the idea of telling something to the rest of them, looking only at each other, Clint gnawing on his lip. "Steve you're not going to break him seriously." Darcy whispered in Steve's ear just loud enough to be heard and in a second Steve's lips were sealed to Clint's, Darcy making a little High Five sign behind Steve's back.

The kiss was passionate, though restrained and gentle due to the split on Clint's lips that was making him whimper every other second, Steve put his hand over Clint's body hovering just above the skin several times before getting it back either against himself or searching for Darcy behind him, only letting the hand, he had had on Clint's neck the all-time, on the archer's body helping him get closer to the Captain.

"Love you too." Clint said when they parted ways.

"Oh hum guys..." Darcy said getting them both to look at her. "We have an audience." She said grinning getting them both to groan, Steve hiding in her collarbone, Clint looking over his shoulder at their friends.

"Yeah I am starting to get why they don't disapprove you being in love with the both of them." Natasha told Darcy, glaring intentionally at the three of them. "I don't like it when people hide things from me."

 _If I may Agent Romanoff, you walked in on them several times in the past couple of months._

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Natasha asked to no one in particular, sure she had walk in on them snuggling on the couch, Steve massaging Clint's shoulder after a shooting session, getting out of the showers at the gym at the same time, curling up around Darcy on movie night, but they had been acting like that since the Chitauri attack, everyone in this tower was touch starved and Darcy had forced them to accept her tendency to touch people and invade their personal space. "How was I even supposed to make the difference between friendly gestures from the first time we came in the tower and now?" She asked sighing frustrated.

"Never was friendly, we're just really bad at flirting, or at getting when someone is flirting back." Clint offered. "Like really really bad."

"Wait the hickey on your neck on Christmas." Natasha suddenly remembered her conversation with Darcy. "You tried to make me spy on them. Sneaky." She smirked at Darcy who giggled in answer.

"To be honest, I thought with all the nights they were spending at each other places you would eventually bust them." Darcy admitted.

"I kind of wondered for a day or two but I didn't know either of them was into men." Natasha explained, Clint had mentioned it once, said something about an acrobat when he was in the circus, but it had just been a crush, years ago and he never said anything about any other men, and Steve well she could blame stereotyping on that one, America Icon from the 40's couldn't be gay, or bi.

"Not into men just into each other." Darcy corrected. "And me." She added smiling.

"Good work Mate." Hunter congratulated Clint padding his shoulder.

"Not a word to anyone." Clint said in a threatening voice but Natasha wasn't worried about that, Clint and Hunter had bonded over their divorce from Bobby and even though Hunter kept marrying the woman their friendship was rock solid.

"So obviously Sam knew." Natasha said. "Who else?"

"First off, Sam figured it out on his own in DC when they came to visit at the hospital you were there too just didn't see the same things he did." Steve told her and Natasha would admit that with Clint and Darcy in the same room she tended to look for signs that they had finally scream their love toward the other, didn't really look at Steve. "Second will you stop the matchmaking please?" Steve pleaded and Natasha rolled her eyes not even dignifying that with an answer.

"Jane knows because idiots one and two don't know how a speakerphone works." Darcy said. "They wanted to fly over and smother me with cuddles when Tony disappeared." Natasha laughed, because that made sense and was so like them.

"Thor found out after the Aether, I needed his help looking after her the first night and we had to call Steve so she would stop crying." Clint explained. That made sense with the drop Natasha already knew Darcy had craved Clint's touch if they were already together then she would have needed Steve's all the same. That made her think about something else.

"Since when?" She asked.

"Darcy and I agreed we didn't want to get together without Clint before she left for London, Clint said yes when you came back from Morocco." Steve explained. "Been learning a lot about video chat, and texting while Darcy was in London." The Captain joked.

"Tony knows too, we told him." Darcy admitted in that same tiny voice she had before when she thought Natasha was going to be mad at her.

"Was it before or after you pushed me to look into it and I didn't follow through?" She inquired because if she had looked into who Clint was dating instead of telling him to dump them and get with Darcy repeatedly she might have known before Tony, or if she had suggested men for Steve to date not only women.

"After! It's only been a couple of weeks." Darcy assured her.

"I'm good then." Natasha told her with a smile. "Anyone else?"

"Hulk." Clint admitted with a groan.

"Caught us kissing in an alley after the Valentine's Day Battle, we have no idea if Bruce knows or not he never said anything." Steve explained.

"I'll be glad enough Hulk didn't thought Clint was kissing Johnny." Darcy sighed. "Hey! Maybe that's why Bruce didn't say anything." she suggested and everyone started to laugh.

"So that's it?" Natasha asked.

"Yep." Darcy said punctuating the 'P'.

"Good, now get back to sleep." She suggested.

"You're not mad we didn't tell you earlier?" Darcy asked this tiny voice again.

"Look, did you ever lied to me about it?" Natasha asked and they all shook their heads, "Did you even try to hide?" again they shook their heads, "Do you feel bad for not telling me?" This time they nodded. "I realize that I am supposed to be this super spy who knows everything, but so many things happened in the past few months, I admit I really didn't look into it, not even one minute, I tried to get Steve to date because I thought he was getting too attached and I realize now that getting too attach might have been a good thing for his dating life. I might or might not find a way to avenge myself for the delayed Intel but for tonight we're good."

"For what it's worth with Hydra around I'm glad you didn't tell anyone before we knew about SHIELD being compromised, it would have been extremely dangerous for all three of you." Natasha added.

"Shit!" Clint cursed out.

"Don't even think about it Birdbrain." Darcy glared at him. "Steve is, well he is Captain America, not like Hydra isn't going to go after him anyway, and if Sam can tag along the missing person research we can certainly stay at home. And the first one who says it's dangerous for me gets to spend the next week on explosion duty... See how fun it is when Jane makes something go boom with Bruce standing next to her and I am not around to play 'war of will' with Hulk." Darcy told them.

"It's dangerous though, Love." Hunter told her.

"You're not allowed to talk you got kidnapped by my freaking vetted assistant and I didn't have time to give you a rundown of the House Rules, there are more than just Jane's 'the one who finishes the bottle of Vodka pays for the next one when you live at the tower'" Darcy explained.

There was a long moment of silence, in which Natasha took the time to review several key moments in her heads figuring out what she had been dismissing and how she could really have figure it out by herself a while ago if she had paid attention. "Your stuff are all over this floor." she suddenly said pointing a finger at the two men on the bed. "Steve's shield has been near the door every time I came down, but I never paid attention to it because Steve was there too." Though he doesn't keep his shield at hands at all time and she knew that, "and Clint's things are everywhere but he never sleeps in his bed so I thought it was a comfort in nightmares kind of thing."

"I never used my floor either." Steve admitted sheepishly.

"How did no one figure this out?" Sam asked now that he had all the variables.

"We have no idea." Darcy said. "I mean 2 weeks ago I was literally with my tongue down Steve's throat while Clint was making team breakfast and we manage to stop kissing but stayed in each other's space like 20 seconds before Pepper came through the door."

"Thanks for the image Love." Hunter teased.

"Hey about that! Why is everybody in our bedroom?" Darcy asked eying them and their tired faces. "Hunter get in the bed, the cushions can't be comfortable with your ribs. Just don't touch people." She joked. "You two are good? Because we can find more space." She asked Sam and Natasha.

"No we're good." Sam answered settling back comfortably and Natasha shrugged snuggling against him to fall back to sleep watching Steve manhandling a giggling Darcy so he would be between her and Hunter, the other man raising his hands in a peace gesture.


	40. The Avengers are awful heartless very su

**The Avengers are awful heartless very subtle people.**

 _I hate to wake you up but Sir and Miss Potts ordered breakfast for everyone and will be down to the 59_ _th_ _floor soon._

Well that was quite a wake-up call, if she ever had one. Darcy groaned trying to remember where she was suddenly realizing there was too many hands on her body. Steve was curled up around her, one of his arm under her neck probably extend so his hand could be on Clint's hair, his other hand cupping her breast. Clint was in front of her both of his hands holding one of hers in between them. So whose hand was on her thigh? She mumble something she wouldn't even understand herself listening as Clint chuckled lightly.

"Hunter I told you no touching! Was I too subtle?" She asked smacking his hand away.

"Ouch, Love." Hunter grunted but then started laughing when he realized he had cuddle up to Captain America.

"That's cute, Captain America and Captain Britain cuddling." Sam laughed out.

"He's doing what?" Darcy hissed sitting up. "Hunter I am so going to kill you."

"Oh come on Love he is all hot and you were hogging the covers." Hunter protested.

Darcy looked down at herself and it was kind of true the covers were pushed down around her legs and Clint's leaving Steve and Hunter without anything warm.

"Fine. But don't do it again." Darcy sighed laying back down on the bed.

"Don't I get a say in that?" Steve mumbled but Darcy grinded herself against his morning erection in response.

"You don't seem traumatized." She chuckled.

 _If I may Sir and Miss Potts will be down in 30 minutes with everyone living in the tower._

"Thank you JARVIS." Steve said tugging Darcy closer to him rubbing his hand on Clint's hair making the man shiver.

 _Buddy his asking if he can come in._

Darcy was a little startled by that, she knew Tony, JARVIS and probably Rhodey were going to work on him but she thought it would take longer.

"Yes!" She cried out looking to the door as the little Bot entered the room.

Bubby was still looking beaten, he had scratches around the Arc Reactor, on his right arm as well as over his side. Darcy wanted to cry again, she knew that now he will be okay but still someone had tried to take him from her and whether it made her crazy or not he was her baby and no one should ever get away with hurting him. But at the same time she rather not know what happened to Ian and his team. She scooted closer to Steve making him move a little so Buddy would be able to come lay between her and Clint.

"Come here Buddy." She said patting the space made for him. "Just be careful."

The little bot flew himself to where she told him he could and went directly to snuggle against her beeping happily.

"I am glad you're safe too. " She told him hugging him tightly.

The little bot turned around to look at Clint beeping sadly trying to extend a hand to touch him.

"Just be real carful, he is injured." Darcy told him pushing him a little closer to Clint.

"Hey Buddy. I am glad Tony was able to put you back together." Clint told him and Buddy put his hand in front of him shaking it several time when it didn't do what he wanted.

 _I am afraid you're projector is not functional. Sir says he will look at it over Breakfast. I could help if you wanted me too._

But Buddy beeped 'NO' whatever he wanted to say he'd rather do it himself.

"So that's Buddy." Sam said sounding a little owed.

"Buddy this is Sam." Darcy informed him when he looked over Clint to the intruder. "He is a new friend." Buddy looked a little longer and went back into hiding between Clint and Darcy, she could understand that Ian had been a new friend too and breakfast will bring Maria in too.

"Well, I for one could use a shower before everyone gets here." Tasha commented, pushing Sam out of the armchair and nodding for Hunter to leave too. "Just remember 20 minutes and everyone would be there."

 _ **Elevator talk.**_

 _Natasha pushed Sam and Hunter out of Darcy's bedroom, even thinking of it as Steve, Darcy and Clint's room looked like a tiring thought to have, she'd have to find a way around it. Hunter went to his guestroom but Sam and Natasha agreed on getting down to their own floors, they had the time and they could change their clothing._

 _"What's wrong with you?" Natasha asked Sam as soon as the doors closed down._

 _"I…" He started but turned to look at her disbelieve all over his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."_

 _"No one is allowed to take a bullet for me, I am not a fragile little girl I can handle myself." She told him._

 _"Wow. Not that I don't appreciate all the gratefulness but I didn't do it for you." Sam retoured._

 _"I was the only one there." She protested._

 _"No you were not." Sam said turning back toward the doors._

 _"I am pretty sure there was only the two of us when you pushed me out of the way using yourself as a bullet shield." She was starting to get angry._

 _"Look I didn't do it for you, if you can't understand that then I can't do anything for you." Sam said getting out on his floor._

 _Natasha went down two more floors to hers, took off her clothes making sure not to shred them her anger running in her brain. The water was hot on her skin but she didn't want to waste time, couldn't find it in herself to enjoy it. She found her comfy 'Day off' PJ's the one Darcy got for her on Christmas, on a style-it-yourself website, it had everyone emblems on it. It had only been 7 minutes but she didn't care she went back into the elevator and asked JARVIS to get her to Sam. Storming in, she started yelling before she even found him._

 _"Who the Hell do you think you are?" Natasha yelled._

 _"Natasha I'm still in the shower I'm sure this can wait." Sam screamed at her from the guest bathroom which made her want to roll her eyes if Steve really never used his floor Sam could have moved in the master bedroom._

 _"I want to know what you meant." Natasha told him getting into the bathroom and sitting herself on the counter._

 _"Nat!" Sam cried out before sighing "Fine." He said continuing his shower. "You're the great Black Widow, my guess is if anyone ever tried to take a bullet from you, chances are you're going to shoot them yourself and I get it I respect that."_

 _"Then what happened?" Natasha asked, she would never admit it but she was looking at his body while he washed himself down, all dark lean muscles._

 _"I did it for Darcy, Nat." Sam finally admitted when Natasha handed him his towel._

 _"Oh!" Natasha said shaking her head. "I don't…" She said but really she didn't know what to say._

 _"I don't know her but she seems to have a big influence on all of you. I might not understand a thing about your special kind of bonds but we all saw Tony getting her out of the Hulk Room she was spent and looked in pain, she already got shot a few days ago when the Soldier shot you. I just thought I take the bullet, I'm the only one hurt, and your medical team seems competent enough to keep me alive but if you took it then Darcy's body would have had to suffer one more traumatizing event." Sam explained._

 _"I work at the VA, I know when people are trying to hide, how scared or how tired they are and that girl is doing both. Clint and Steve they seem to help a lot, but as long as she can't actually control her bonds, doesn't trust any of you to help her with it, she won't be able to let anyone really in. She is more scared about any of you getting hurt than she is about herself." He kept going putting on some sweat pants over is boxer short and looking for a shirt._

 _"I am pretty sure that she would have taken that bullet for you too just so only one of you would have had to get hurt." He finished putting his shirt on wincing when it tugged on his stiches._

 _Natasha stayed silent, getting back into the bath room to get a dry towel and the med kit that was stashed on every bathroom of the tower getting Sam to sit down on the bed, rolling up his sleeve she dried his injury checked that the stiches hadn't been disturbed before bandaging it, with well Captain America's bandage because Tony had the sense of humor of a 5 years old._

 _While doing this in silence she thought about what he had told her. It was true that Darcy would never ask for them to be careful or to stop working, she even pushed them to go on and take down SHIELD even though she could have ended up being more injured. Darcy had showed them what she was actually hiding, even though Natasha suspected that she still hadn't opened the bonds completely only just enough to help them find Clint and Hunter nothing more and she took it away as soon as they were safe not letting anything linger. It was weird though that Sam had noticed all of that after only spending a few hours with her when none of them seemed to be aware of those facts._

 _"Just don't get shot again." She told him walking back into the bathroom to put the med kit back in place._

 _"Natasha?" Sam asked._

 _"I grew up with people who told me that bonded people were weak that I didn't need anyone, but when we came back I only wanted to get closer to her, I told her I wanted her to use me as a substitute for the bonds when we're on mission." Natasha explained._

 _"But?" Sam prodded._

 _"But she said I don't trust her and she can't let me help with the most personal thing she could share if I don't trust her." She told him._

 _"Well she is right about that." Sam said._

 _"But I want to help her, isn't that enough?" Natasha asked._

 _"From what I read on her file, the people in the desert wanted to help her too." Sam pointed out making Natasha want to smack his head to the doorframe he was leaning against. "From what I saw, she doesn't truly trust Steve or Barton with all of it either."_

 _"Would you talk to her?" Natasha asked surprising the both of them._

 _"Me?" Sam inquired._

 _"You're new here, you'll soon see that she is involved in every bodies' life, so you're neutral, you can tell her all about PTSD and all those things we can't seem to talk to her about ourselves." Natasha suggested._

 _"I am not staying for long, Steve and I will be looking for Barnes as soon as we get confirmed Intel." Sam told her. "But I'll see if she wants to talk." Sam assured her._

 _"Thank you" she told him sealing her lips to his in a quick barely there kiss. "That never happened." She told him walking to the elevator._

 _"Whatever you want." Sam told her flowing her into the cart._

Darcy, Steve, Buddy and Clint staid in bed a little longer enjoying their little family time. Steve mentioned helping Clint take a shower protecting his cast and his ribs and Darcy said she would shower in one of the guest bathroom. She wasn't dumb she knew Clint and Steve both noticed her face when thinking about Clint's injuries, she wasn't ready to see any of them with bruises and they didn't say anything about it.

Darcy was ready before her boyfriends so she put coffee on knowing that Pepper and Tony would bring some but with this bunch you never really had enough coffee. She gazed at the living room over watching as Buddy tried to tidy up the place so everyone could find a seat.

"Hey Buddy." She called out and he was in front of her in seconds. "Are you okay?"

The little bot beeped 'Yes' than after a minute 'No'. Darcy knew from his action this morning that Tony had kept his memories intact, and she was grateful for that, no one should ever get his memories wiped out, especially now that they knew about Bucky's fate, but the idea of him not remembering Ian threatening him or taking out the Reactor was tempting.

"We are going to stay inside the tower for a while, you'll be safe." Darcy assured him sending him back to his job.

"Hey!" She heard behind her it was tired and rough but she was still be able to recognize Tony's voice, she turned around ready to welcome everyone but the man was alone. "JARVIS said you could use a little company."

She only nodded and he was right there hugging her. "Just please don't cry I don't do well with crying women." Darcy chuckled at that hugging him back.

"It's been a very long week." She whispered aware that Steve could hear her if she didn't.

"That's why no one is working today." Tony told her and she pulled back crocking an eyebrow at him. "We all talked about it everyone is tired so pending an Avenger Assemble call everyone is taking today off, tomorrow two if I have my way."

"But science! and SI, you can't just drop everything." Darcy protested halfheartedly.

"You really want us to Science! on no sleep?" he asked chuckling not letting her answer, "Pepper had already cleared her planning for the all week, after AIM on Christmas, and SHIELDRA now it's safer if we clear everybody before she goes back to traveling around the world." He explained, and Darcy had to agree with this logic.

"Wouldn't we be more comfortable on the family floor than here? It's bigger." Darcy offered.

"Clint needs to stay on this floor, at least today, so he is always safe and won't have to run two flight of stairs on his broken leg if needed, so no." Tony told her firmly.

"It's cute." Darcy told him kissing his cheek. "Thanks for caring about them." Tony mumbled something she didn't understand back at her. "I am going to see where they are at. You mind checking on Buddy's little problem while I do?" Darcy asked. She knew there was no way she could thank him for putting him back together without Tony closing up on her so she only acknowledge her flying companion.

"You're not allowed to play Hide and Seek with the Bots anymore, little purple devil." She heard Tony complain from the living room, but he sounded amused so she kept going.

"Very subtle Captain." She said shaking her head when her eyes landed on Clint sitting patiently on the bed. He was wearing one of his large training short, probably the only thing that could fit above his cast but what made her want to laugh was that Steve who was helping Clint put a shirt on had several hickeys on his neck and collarbone, and Clint was now wearing one of Steve trademark light blue shirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Steve said blushing.

"It's missing something though." She said and went to her night stand rummaging inside to find her Black Sharpie. She crawled to Clint's back stroking gentle fingers against it making the man shiver and assuring her that she wouldn't hurt him, she started to write something on the back of his shirt, than turned his head toward her for a lingering kiss. "People are starting to come in. Let's get you into the living room."

Steve helped Clint to the couch and stopped just before he could sit him down when he heard Tony laughing behind them.

"I take it you decided to come out?" Tony asked and Darcy nodded firmly. Steve took a look at what Darcy had wrote on the shirt and roll his eyes barely containing his laughter.

"What did she wrote?" Clint groaned.

"Property of Darcy Lewis and Steve Rogers! Do Not Kidnap!" Steve told him helping the other man sitting down. "With the A of Avengers in between."

"Darcy is all about subtlety." Clint's laugh turning quickly into a chocked out sound.

Darcy waved as Pepper came in with Rhodey and Maria, holding several package that smelled divine. Steve knew they were in, he had to have heard them and smell the patisseries, coffee and chocolate, but still he leaned in to give a passionate but tender kiss to Clint which left the other man gasping for air and tugging Steve in for more not caring about the gasping sounds behind them.

"That was so much more subtle." Steve said chuckling when Clint's eyes widen a little at the sight of their friends taking place around them.

But before anyone could say anything about them Steve turned around grab Darcy and delivered that same dark passionate kiss to her, Steve's tongue taking control over her mouth lightly stroking over hers, getting deeper as he was tugging her closer to himself. "I love you." He told her and just as he had promised before they went to find Clint she believed every bit of it.

"That's going to need a bit of explanation." Bruce said from behind them Darcy only noticing him now, she could feel herself blushing tomatoes red.

"So I guess Hulk didn't tell you?" Darcy asked him and Bruce mumbled something about Hulk not sharing gossips.

"Where are Thor and Jane?" Clint asked when Hunter got out of his room at the same time Tasha and Sam got out of the elevator.

 _Dr Foster and Mister Odinson are otherwise occupied they will join you shortly._

"JARVIS, that's too much information." Darcy informed him.

 _Duly noted, Miss Lewis._

"Plus they already knew, so let's do this without them." Tasha offered.

Darcy, Clint and Steve settled themselves and took a few minutes to explain everything from how they came together to what it implied and answering everyone's questions as well as they could.

"Who wants hot chocolate?" Pepper asked and Darcy, Clint and Steve looked at each other.

"That's it? Just 'who wants some chocolate'?" Darcy asked looking at all their friends, they knew the odds of someone finding their relationship inappropriate was lessen simply due to the kind of people they were calling their friends but still there was 9 people, 10 if they counted Hulk, knowing about their polyamorous relationship now, statistically at least one of them had to disapprove.

"Don't worry I know you prefer half chocolate, half coffee for breakfast." Pepper told her shrugging.

"That's not what I was talking about." Darcy said her head falling in her hands on her knees.

"Does it mean I can stop playing wingman for Cap with Natasha?" Maria asked amused biting her croissant.

"Yes!" Steve cried out. "Please!"

"So who owes who what?" Rhodey asked after a while.

 _Miss Lewis owes Dr Foster a month of babysitting Mister Stark ._

Tony groaned at that ready to complain until he realized that meant Darcy would have to spend an entire month in the lab with him, she maturely stick her tongue at him when he started beaming at the idea.

 _Everyone else owes a total of $2.200 to Dr Ross._

Betty whooped making herself more noticeable than she usually was.

"That's not possible I bet Cap and Darcy would get together." Rhodey complained.

"And I had a hundred on Clint and Darcy." Maria told them.

"I should at least won something for putting money on Steve and Clint." Pepper pipped up.

"Oh my Thor!" Darcy cried out, "You're all awful people."

 _Dr Ross won with a $10 bet on Miss Lewis, Captain Rogers and Mister Barton being a couple._

"That's cheating." Steve told her pointing an accusing finger at her.

 _Dr Ross placed her bet before she talked you into having a conversation with your partners. The bet is valid._

"He didn't let me change mine after you told me." Tony complained loudly.

"So no one is having problem with the situation?" Darcy asked one more time.

"Who ate the last vanilla donuts?" Hunter complained.

"Yeah I got it, I won't ask anymore." Darcy said decided that Steve would make a better seat than the couch sitting herself on his laps her legs on Clint's thigh making sure she stayed away from his cast.

Buddy took advantage of a moment of silence to fly in front of Hunter pushing him to get closer to Clint. Hunter looked at Darcy but she could only shrug she didn't know what Buddy wanted.

"Hey there little Mate, want to tell us what's wrong?" Hunter asked after he sat down next to Clint.

Buddy pulled out his hand and his projector worked this time making him beep happily, after a few seconds a little message showed up, usually Buddy showed them videos but this time it was a simple typed message.

[ _Thank you for saving me_ ]

Darcy couldn't help but cry when Hunter tugged Buddy between Clint and himself patting his head.

"It's nothing Mate! Glad Stark could fix you." Hunter told him while Clint continued to pat his little metal head.

"Oh baby don't cry. We'll all protect him, it won't happen again." Steve said kissing her temple. Darcy nodded against his shoulder hiding her face into his neck.

"He is scared." She told him but everyone was listening and looking if they could see it, Buddy would usually fly from one of them to the other, wandering around the tower, but right now he was happily staying very still between his two protectors.

"Well we'll find a way to help with that too." Steve assured her.

After a while conversation started to drift off to normal day to day things, who ate the last apple, who forgot to pull the kilt back onto the couch in the family room. Darcy didn't really care for all of that, she had enough on her mind already although after today she'd at least won't have to think about secret relationship and that was a nice thought to have. She took the empty coffee pot and went back to the kitchen to get another one on. She could have gone back out there, the machine certainly didn't need her staying by its side to work but even though the kitchen was open to the living room it felt calmer, like an invisible wall was protecting her from the hubbub.

"I wondered how long it would take for one of them to send you." She said watching as Sam came to join her, well he had at least brought back empty plates so he could have an excuse if he chose to deny what they both knew was true. Sam looked down at the plates in his hands and shrugged.

"I am curious though." She added. "Which one?" She inquired.

"Natasha." Sam admitted shrugging once more making Darcy chuckle.

"Here to convince me to let her take over? Because that's not going to happen." Darcy told him.

"Just here to talk to you." Sam said getting around her to rinse the plates in the sink before putting them into the dishwasher.

"So talk." She relaxed knowing that he wasn't here to convince her.

"It's not usually how it works." Sam told her shaking his head.

"I am not a usual person." Darcy countered.

"So I have noticed." Sam chuckled. "You know they are just worried about you right?" Sam asked.

"Not enough to know why you took a bullet for Tasha though." Darcy said not even asking if she was right she just knew.

"She understands now." Sam told her.

"But the other they don't for all they care you did it because you're into her." She said smirking turning to look at him with a wink. If Sam wanted to talk it was fine with her but she wasn't about to pour her soul onto him just because it was his job. "You know, even if technically you did took a bullet for me, my mom already tried the 'talk to a stranger' thing, it's not going to work better now than it was then." She explained to Sam though admitting to herself that she was touch he did that for her.

"Why did she asked you to do that?" Sam asked and Darcy saw right through it but the other knew that part so it wasn't a secret to share.

"The first time the bond manifested themselves physically Tasha had a broken ankle and so did I, I told Elizabeth that I was sleeping when it happened and when the doctor asked she told me to tell the truth so I explained how I was sleeping but she never believed me." Darcy told him. "After a few years of me telling the truth and her not believing me she decided that I needed therapy, hoping Child Services would leave her alone."

"That explains a lot." Sam mumbled.

"I am sure it does." Darcy sighed because really Sam was better than the other at that 'find what people try to hide thing' but that didn't mean he would understand her.

"Why would you trust people when all they do his betray you?" Sam summarized and Darcy stayed silent she didn't need to acknowledge him she just went back to gazing at the people in living room. "You harder to crack than most." He complained, poor Sam if she was that easy they wouldn't have to send him to her.

"So Tasha keeps telling me." She grinned.

"Would it help if I asked really nicely? Because at this point I am not above begging." Sam told her joking.

"Will you get a date if you bring her Intel?" Darcy asked smirking.

"No! I am doing this for you not for me." Sam protested.

"You're missing the all point of this crazy house my friend." Darcy told him. "I should add 'live off Bets and Bribes' on the House Rules. They are adrenaline addicts, even the support group. They need incentive to do almost any basic things, even if it's just 'go train with Cap and if you win I'll make your favorite meal for dinner'." She explained. "Sometimes Steve let them win because he wants to eat the meal too."

"I honestly just want to help you." Sam told her again.

"Why?" She asked still not looking at him, she knew that if she did she might blurred out something she meant to keep for herself, anger over the fact that he was getting noisy or what he really wanted her to say, she didn't know so she kept her eyes on her family instead.

"I like to take care of people too, and you're the only one you're not already taking care of." Sam told her.

"I resent that statement." Darcy said smiling at him.

"Can I ask you something?" Sam inquired.

"Why not? You can ask it doesn't mean I have to answer." Darcy told him.

"What will it take for you to talk to me?" Sam asked and Darcy waited a few minutes thinking about it before answering.

"You stay on Bucky's search party even when Steve is busy Avenging." Darcy offered.

"I meant what can I do for you?" Sam sighed.

"You'll be doing this for me, the sooner Barnes is back here safe the sooner I can enjoy my boyfriends." Darcy told him.

"You know I already planned on doing just that right?" Sam inquired shaking his head.

"I do." Darcy simply told him.

"Fine, I promise to stay on Barnes missing person search party until he is home safe." Sam finally relented.

"Great let's talk then." Darcy told him taking him away to the balcony stopping only to whisper to Tasha "He better get something out of this." Then walking away before the red head could answer sliding the door shut asking JARVIS to lock it behind them.


	41. Where Sam gets more than he was bargaine

**Where Sam gets more than he was bargained for.**

"So tell me Sam..." Darcy said sitting on one of the long chair waiting for JARVIS to pull up the wind and sight breaker so it wouldn't get too cold out there. Of course Sam knew they existed he had only been there for 48h but he liked flying the first thing he went to look at when he got on Cap's floor was the balcony. "What do you want to know?" she asked but hold up her hand so he wouldn't answer right away. "You already figured out I wanted to talk about it and I am not stupid enough to refuse the help of someone who could actually help but if anything that gets out of my mouth out here gets back around to them you'll have all the Avengers up your ass." She knew how to threaten someone at least that was good to know for future reference.

"What do you want to talk about?" Sam asked, because he didn't want to pressure her into anything and seriously he hadn't had time to learn much about the bonds or their little cute family of dysfunctional individual, so he couldn't ask anything in particular.

"That's not how this works. I am bad at talking or asking things for myself, even their bribing always ends up being for someone else. I will give this a try but you have to ask the question. Like a weird version of 20 questions, only I don't ask anything and if there is a question I don't want to answer it doesn't count, JARVIS will keep track." Darcy explained the rules of this little interlude.

"You don't want to know anything about me?" Sam asked surprised that she didn't want to make it a reciprocating game.

"I know all I need to know about you. You're not Hydra, got shocked by Ross' experiment, you're ready to look at for Steve even though you still think Barnes can't be saved, Tasha trusts you to have her back, and on your first night here you gave up sleep to help me and get Hunter and Clint back to the tower safely." Darcy summarized and Sam had to admit he understood why all those things made him someone she could trust and wanted to confine in even without knowing more.

"When did it start?" Sam asked.

"The truth and you won't tell them, agreed?" Darcy inquired and Sam agreed. "When I was 3 or maybe before but I don't really remember it." Darcy told him.

"But Nat was only 10 maybe 11 by then." Sam said surprised, then he remembered something he had read in her file, his eidetic memory coming handy in times like this. "You were 6 when you broke your ankle."

"Touchée" She said smiling.

"I am not going to ask if it's the truth because we agreed you would only tell me the truth so I'll just assume they don't know it." Sam said lost in thoughts over his next question. "I guess the next question would be what happened when you were 3 that made you remember it and not anything before?"

"The original Jarvis died." Darcy told him and Sam almost fell of the chair he had just sat on.

"But they..." Sam babbled lamentably, "I thought they..." He tried again shaking his head at himself. "Of course they don't know that, and neither did you until you met Stark. It a really young age to feel grief." Sam told her.

"It was for him too." Darcy simply said. "Next question" she asked cheerfully.

"How come you were all in so much pain in the Hulk Room?" He inquired.

"Oh, that one is a little trickier." She told him. "The bonds are hoarders." she told him and incomprehension must have been written all over his face because she cleared her throat before continuing. "Yeah so the way I can explain it is the bonds are like doors into my brain, doors had to be leading somewhere and where ever this places are they are full of everything that ever happened bad or good it's all locked in there, so when I opened them to find Clint they got a taste of it all, well except Phil's I still can't find his." She explained and something stuck to him.

"Can you..." He started asking not finding the right way to formulate it. "I mean when they are really sad, depressed, can you..." He stopped again.

"Can I tap into happy memories to help make them feel better?" Darcy helped out.

"Yes that." Sam sighed.

"Thought about it. Never tried. None of them had a lot of happy time in their lives." Darcy admitted.

"Is that what you're trying to do here?" Sam asked and Darcy glared at him.

"Is that what you think I am doing? Manipulating them to make myself feel better?" She hissed at him.

"Oh God no, I was just wondering if it was why you won't talk to them? Why you're prepping their favorite meals? Make sure they sleep eat and get watered properly? Pushed me into dating Nat a few minutes ago? Don't tell them about anything that might bother you?" Sam asked in quick succession barely taking time to breath.

"Which one of this 5 questions do you want me to answer first?" Darcy inquired smirking. Damn she had tried since she gave him the rules and he finally cracked, he knew why those spies liked her so much.

"I was just wondering when you decided that your mission in life was to make them happy?" Sam asked chuckling.

"When I was 10 soon after Clint's bond came to life. I promised myself I'll make sure Tasha never had a single bruised on her body ever again, that if Clint could hear again he would only hear nice things, that I would make sure Phil never had a single nightmare for the rest of his life, I couldn't do anything about Tony, I didn't even know what I was feeling wasn't coming from one of the other until the car accident." Darcy explained once again but didn't fall into his trap. "And yes it's partly why I make sure they have what they enjoy the most when they are home, including you if that's what Tasha wants, and it's also why I'll never have this talk with them, or why I make sure they can science! in peace without having to think about trivial things like water food or sleep."

"They should make sure you're happy too." Sam assured her.

"I already am, what talking to them would do would only be dramatic and dangerous for the Earth." Darcy told him firmly. "I can control the bonds, I am used to them, I don't need any of them to feel all heroic and decide to sacrifice being a super hero just for me there are more important things in the world than me."

"Darcy!" Sam chastised her.

"What? You're going to tell me that when you went after Hydra you did it for yourself? And if someone, say you're mom, had told you not to go you wouldn't have convinced her it was for the greater good?" Darcy told him and he had to admit she was right.

"Speaking about mothers, why do you call yours Elizabeth?" Sam asked he had noticed that when she explained about the therapy she was forced into.

"Because that's her name." Darcy answer crocking an eyebrow as if wondering why he would even ask.

"Yeah I am not falling for that again you didn't answer the question so either I get another one or you give me a real answer." Sam said grinning.

"Fine. My mother decided that since my little sister is only 11 months old she was too young to have a 22 years old daughter. Plus it always comes with all kind of questions she doesn't want to have to answer to anymore so she asked me to call her Elizabeth and asked if we could be friends or at least trying to get to know each other, you know since she doesn't know me at all obviously. But all she wants to speak about is April and no matter how much I love this little monster I am not playing that game with her." Darcy admitted shivering on her seat, taking deep breath to prevent tears from rolling down. Sam wanted to go inside and grab a few quilts to wrap her into, he turned around to do just that only to find Pepper, sitting against the glass door, with covers piled up next to her.

Sam knocked on the door to not startle her when it opened. "Thank it's getting a little chilly out there." Sam told her taking the covers and the box of tissues she handed him too. Pepper mouthed 'Thanks' when the door closed down on her.

"I wouldn't mind some Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow too." Darcy said looking up at the ceiling taking the cover he handed over. "You want anything? JARVIS will tell them." She pointed out.

"Coffee sounds good." Sam said. "Thank you JARVIS." but the AI butler didn't answer.

"You want to keep going while we wait?" Darcy asked and Sam hesitated for a second. "Fair warning I might not be this open if you give me time to think about it." she informed him.

"Why do the other keep referring to Pepper and Tony as your parents? Even Fury did it." Sam remembered the off comment he made about her being grounded.

"Not that I don't want to answer that one but I guess it's something you have to witness not something that can be explained. They are good fake parents though even if sometime they tend to forget I am almost 23 they can't actually ground me." Darcy joked.

"Doesn't seem to prevent you from doing it to all of them." He said gesturing to the crowd inside who was trying pretty hard to act like they were not spying on them.

"Have you met them? Steve jumps off planes without a parachute, Tasha needs guidance into feelings, Clint is trying really hard to test out everything he missed growing up including dragging Steve into pranking Bruce, Bruce who wouldn't get out of his comfort zone if every once in a while I wouldn't put Betty between him and his lab and even then he acts like a 13 years old who never dated anyone even if they have been dating for years, Hunter is... Hunter is a teenager but he actually is worse around Clint, don't ever leave them alone together without ordering JARVIS to play nanny, Betty grew up on military bases my guess is she didn't have a lot of free time to act like a teenager either, she is the one who acts the most like her age, unless you're talking about Bruce or you're threatening to not go to medical after a mission, Jane well I am pretty sure that without me she'd be somewhere in New Mexico either a corpse somewhere in the desert or married to Donald the Asshole, depending on what she missed first sex or water, Thor is a troll he actually knows a lot more about everything that he lets on, Rhodey isn't here often but when he is Tony can always drag him into doing stupid things." Darcy told him pointing out each of them as she explained. "I don't know Maria yet, but I'll get her drunk enough to figure her out." She said chuckling.

"What about Tony and Pepper?" Sam asked wincing, he needed to stop asking questions.

"Pepper works too much she needs to have fun when she is home not organize everything for everyone, I do that for her. And Tony, it's ..." She stopped and smiled. "You get another question for that one."

"You're not going to talk to me about Stark?" Sam asked smacking his palm on his forehead.

"No I am not let's just say Tony is my secret, I know Steve and Clint went to him to sort of ask permission to date me, I hate it but I love it just the same." Darcy grinned.

"Clint and Steve?" Sam mumbled.

"That's not a question Sam." Darcy told him.

"I listened when you explained everything but how did you came to it?" Sam asked her.

"Tasha could probably explain some parts better than me, she has a cute theory about Unicorns." Darcy told him with a tiny smile. "I fell in love with a carny that was silent all the time and sad, that did everything he could to survive but never ever felt anything other than disgust for himself for what he had to do and for his voice the first time I heard it, loving him after that, when I met him and he was SHIELD specialist valued for his talent and his work, with actual friends that looked out for him instead of planning to kill him, it was the easiest thing ever." Darcy explained happy tears trailing down her cheeks.

"What about Steve then?" Sam asked and before she could answer added. "It's not a new question just a reminder." Smiling when she nodded.

"Steve, he is so..." she got lost looking for the right words.

"Captain America." Sam offered.

"No it's not that, I don't have anything against Captain America, but Cap is professional, commanding, when he gets somewhere everyone's attention is on him, everyone expects him to be perfect to always know what to do or what to say. I fell in love with Steve Rogers, he is a troll, not as much as Thor can be but still, he was sick almost all his life and he enjoys his new and improved body more than just for battles, he is extremely clumsy, especially around women, he is shy, and a little lost, he never obeyed an order in his life, he would give up everything for his friends without even asking why they needed him to, he feels like the weight of the all world lays on his shoulder and I like being one of the only two people able to make him forget about it. We are not bonded and he is and will always be a mystery to me." She told him and this time he was the one almost crying.

"That's not the all story." Sam affirmed.

"I am selfish with him, he is the only person in the world with no bonds to me who ever loved me." Darcy told him.

"That's not selfish Darcy." Sam told her and a small smile was back on her lips. "And probably not true either." Yep one day he'll ask if she learned that glare from Nat. "I meant Pepper and Jane." He said putting his hand in the air.

"Jane relies on me to keep her alive and yeah she likes me just find but I will never be a priority for her. Pepper took me in because of Tony." Darcy told him. "Plus have you seen my boys?" She said sighing

"You should spend more time looking at all of them, and a little less looking after them Darcy." He told her just in time for Tony to knock on the door with their mugs in hands. 'Yeah Mom and Dad' Sam thought to himself getting up to take their beverage.

"She talking to you?" Tony asked not even trying to push past Sam to get on the balcony.

"I am afraid I am not allowed to answer that question." Sam told him looking briefly toward Darcy who was watching the others he turned back to Tony and nodded briefly the man closing the door with a grin. At least Nat had been right on one thing they all wondered but no one had been able to ask until now and they didn't even seem upset that they didn't get to hear.

"I remember reading in the file that your father left early on, did you ever try to find him?" Sam asked handing her the chocolate mug filled with pretty much more marshmallow than milk he was sure of it.

"Never even thought about doing it, he wasn't interested in me, I mean Elizabeth drove me to the bus station without questioning it when I asked but at least she stayed until I was old enough to make that decision. Don't waste a question on him, if they did look for him they didn't tell me, and I don't want to know and that's something you're allowed to tell them." Darcy assured him.

"How many question do I have left JARVIS?" Sam asked because he wanted to know so much more he had wasted some by not formulating them properly even though she also had volunteer some things on her own.

 _You have four questions left, Mister Wilson._

"Thank you JARVIS." Sam said before mumbling, "Only four." rubbing his chin in his hand.

"You want more?" Darcy asked.

"I kept finding more questions to ask as we talk." Sam admitted.

"I never said this would be a onetime thing, if I can trust you." Darcy said shrugging it off as she had just said she wanted more milk.

"I can make do with that." Sam told her.

"So Falcon? Next question?" Darcy prodded.

"Natasha?" Sam asked absentmindedly.

"That's not a question Flying Bird. What do you want to know? If she'll date you? If she has two personalities like most of them? How many weapons she hides on herself in this PJ's?" Darcy asked amused.

"She doesn't have weapons on her." Sam affirmed.

"I don't know, I mean she usually don't on Days off at the tower and this floor is full of hidden weapons but at the same time Clint got kidnap and that's not something she takes kindly." Darcy said looking at Nat. "I think she has at least 4."

"No all the Avengers are here you said there are weapons on this floor, she doesn't wear any on herself." Sam was adamant on that, it was winter PJ's with little pocket on the front where would she even hide them?

"Want to bet against me?" Darcy asked amused again and Sam felt the trap coming.

"Okay if she has one or none, I get to tell them something of my choice." Sam offered and Darcy smirked.

"Meaning if she has at least 2 I get something I want from you?" Darcy inquired.

"Depends on what you want." Sam was worried by her grin.

"Tony gets to put Iron Man Red on your new wings." Darcy told him giggling.

"Do you ever ask for anything for yourself?" Sam sighed?

"Yeah when it's about sex but that's only between me and my boys." Darcy explained. "So are we on?"

"You said you thought she had 4, Stark can paint them Iron Man Red if she has exactly 4, if it's more than 1 but less than 4 or simply more than 4 you have to ask something for yourself." Sam countered.

"Okie Dokie." She singsonged taking his hand to check.

"Not this fast." He stopped her. "JARVIS does Darcy have any way of knowing how many weapons Natasha is hiding?"

"Clever." Darcy hummed.

 _Miss Lewis has no previous knowledge concerning your bet._

"Okay than. JARVIS please ask Natasha how many weapons she has on herself." Sam pleaded checking hands with Darcy.

They watched as Natasha turned to look at them with a devious grin. She stood up took a dagger out of her pajama's waistband, a pepper spray can from one of her pocket, one of her electrifying bracelet out of the other and weirdly enough a wire string out from the bottom of her bunny slippers.

"Hey how is that even possible?" Sam asked when she stopped there.

"I highly recommend not calling JARVIS a cheater if you ever want to use the elevator again or you know take a warm shower or things like that, he controls the all tower and doesn't like it when people doubt his higher sense of respectable behavior." Darcy warned him.

"Fine you won, I am going to be so discreet in red." Sam told her hoping she would call it off.

"Oh poor little Falcon, it'll be tasteful I promise." Darcy told him waving at Natasha.

JARVIS probably explained what happened because everyone was laughing as Natasha put back her weapons.

"You have 3 questions left." Darcy reminded him.

"I am pretty sure I only have 2." Sam admitted.

"No you still haven't explained to me what you want to know about Tasha." Darcy told him.

"I think I want to know about Hulk first." Sam said wanting to find out what he wanted to know the most about Nat and Darcy.

"That's still not a question." Darcy remarked.

"I guess I've been wondering, Banner can change if he choose too but when you get angry does he have any choice or does it happen anyway?" Sam asked and watched as Darcy closed off completely apparently this was a really stupid question.

"He doesn't seem to have a choice, I mean he is used to Hulk so he is pretty good at calming me down and it only happens if I am really, really upset but in the few months since we met, Hulk always came out when I got mad, or really sad. I mean maybe a part of it is Bruce knowing how much his green alter-ego helps, I never asked, I should." She said sheepishly.

Sam chose to move on, they could come back to it next time after she took time to talk to Banner about it.

"We gave pain meds to Clint, I've been wondering since then why you never take any." Sam said and shook his head. "Why aren't you taking pain meds?"

"Good Boy" She told him patting his head gently.

"Only took me 19 tries to get it right." Sam said chuckling.

"If Clint takes pain meds it will only affects me, and well Hulk when they were linked and because it was the really good stuff." Darcy started to explain. "They are always on mission or working or well life gets in the way. I am linked to every one we never had time to test and see if me taking any kind of meds that could alter my judgement or get me to sleep would have any effect on them."

"No! I am sorry I know I promised but just **NO** , you have to test that, you have to test it before their next mission, are you crazy? What if your appendix burst or you get injured on your own because of a car crash or in one of those labs level's explosion and you need surgery? That's just insane. And just **NO.** " Sam burst out. Were they all crazy? What would happen if someone attacked NY and she got hurt? Would Dr Ross have to wait until they are done fighting the villains away to take care of Darcy? " **NO** " He cried out one last time.

"What happens if we go in right now, test it and they all get sleepy and Doom decides it's been too long since he visited NY, or the Chitauri find a way back? How will Steve and Thor manage without the Black Widow, Iron Man and Hulk? And well Hawkeye but he wouldn't be any help today anyway, still he could coordinate with JARVIS from the couch." Darcy tried to give him a legitimate excuse.

"Darcy!" Sam was starting to get really mad. "We're doing this now, I am here, Rhodes is here, as well as Hunter, Hulk isn't always useful and I guess he can metabolize those stuff quicker anyway and Hill can help coordinate if needed."

"Hunter is injured." Darcy protested.

"I took a bullet for you." Sam countered.

"You still have two more questions." Darcy blurred out as a last desperate attempt.

"We're going to go inside tell them to prep everything and we're getting back out for my last two questions." Sam looked as she still didn't move. "NOW DARCY!" He yelled at her not even feeling bad for doing so. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her inside.

"Are you all insane?" He yelled at the assemble before them, getting their attention toward them Darcy blushing deep red from embarrassment, when Sam if he could would probably do the same out of anger.

"What did we do?" Steve asked looking genuinely confused.

"It's what you all didn't do that doesn't sit right with me." He said and he knew he was glaring at them now.

"Care to share?" Clint asked Darcy who shook her head hiding behind Sam.

"Do you even care that she would rather be suffering than risking even one of you getting endangered by side effects? You don't deserve her. You never took the time to test pain meds on the bonds? What if she needs immediate surgery when one of you is out on mission? Or even if you're at home, you'll be left with only Steve to protect the entire Earth? Are you freaking crazy?" Sam continued to yell at them keeping Darcy preciously behind him, Tony had been right she was a very special girl and even her boyfriends didn't deserve her.

"We're always on call or on mission." Tasha explained hiding herself behind Steve just has she had done against the Winter Soldier.

"With Hunter, Rhodes, Hill and I here you can take a day off show a little gratitude to her, try showing that you care about her safety more than just by locking her in this tower like a five stars prisoner." Sam told them storming back to the balcony with Darcy in toe closing the door, he smiled when he noticed that he didn't even had to ask JARVIS to lock it the AI did it by himself.

"That was..." Darcy said in a little voice looking at him with wide eyes. "No one ever did that for me. You're pretty special yourself Sam." Darcy put a hand over his mouth as he was about to talk again. "I have 3 more bonds, 2 like them and one I don't really understand." Darcy offered. "They don't know about it, I don't know who the others are or where they are or even what our bonds will become once they open, I just know they are there."

"Is that why you don't want to share them with Nat on missions?" Sam asked finally.

"No, I can choose who I connect to who if yesterday is anything to go by. I think it would be a good idea for one of them to get them, Tony doesn't want it, Hulk can't, I don't want Clint to have them because there are things I don't want my boyfriend to know about, so Tasha is the only choice I have." Darcy started to explain and hold a hand up when he was about to ask why. "She doesn't want it. She thinks she does but she doesn't know what it will do to her, she is learning to trust, to care and that's good for her but she'll need more than that for it to work and she would certainly need to want to spent time with me which never happened before."

"She likes you." Sam informed her.

"It's not as important as I told her it was. It's a question of trust and will, not love, I just need her to care for more than the mission or it won't work, not because it couldn't but because she will just share them with me, I'll still hear and feel everything just like yesterday and if she choose to ignore it or does something I don't like there is 100% chance I'll cut her off even without meaning to. It would be dangerous for all of us." Darcy explained.

Sam stood there silent Darcy was way more aware of what she was doing then they knew about.

"You have one question left." Darcy reminded him.

"Darcy! What do you really know about your Bonds?" Sam asked wondering how much more she was hiding.

"Did you have the Scientific Lecture on Bonds by the Tower Residents?" Darcy asked and Sam nodded.

"But now I feel like they don't know the half of it." Sam grinned.

"Well that might be true my friend." She chuckled. "It all started with the Tesseract but not really, well she is the one who explained things to me but..." She stopped and Sam groaned. "Hey that was a little complicated." She protested.

"So before the Big Bang..." Darcy said and Sam burst into laughter. "Want the Reader Digest version?" She asked smirking.

"Well I did threaten the Avengers I would like to hear the all story before I die." Sam told her.

"Yeah, yeah." Darcy shrugged. "I guess there are 6 singularities which became 6 stones, the Tesseract and the Aether..." Sam made a face at that. "It's the thing the elves that destroyed London wanted from Thor." Sam nodded along at her explanation. "Well those are 2 of the stones, Tess, the Tesseract, she told me that I was supposed to have 6 protectors, I thought I was missing one and Phil was supposed to be the fifth but he died, then he wasn't dead and later on when I encountered the Aether and he took away the bonds I realized I had 6 of them missing then coming back but still no Phil, so I asked Tess. I guess the easiest way to explain this is if Phil could be assimilate to a grand priest from the order Odin originally entrusted the Tesseract to, he was supposed to find all of us and get us together, safe. Not that I don't still love him and all but it explains why he was never interested into pushing it deeper, I guess."

Sam was listening patiently trying to make sense of all of it.

"Wait you talk to the Tesseract?" Sam realized suddenly.

"You're out of question Flying Boy." She smirked.

"JARVIS note that one for me please." He asked, she offered to do it again, and he'd start with that next time. "In fact can you create a file so I can keep my questions as I thought about it, I don't want to forget any if she lets me play again?"

 _I should take offense but I am enjoying this little encounter myself, the file has been created and added to your phone Mister Wilson._

"You could add your own questions if you wanted JARVIS I don't mind sharing." Sam told him.

 _That is very generous of you and the gesture is greatly appreciated, thank you very much._

"I wasn't done here." Darcy sighed.

"Oh yeah please keep going." Sam told her.

"So Six Bonds for Six Stones." Darcy grinned certainly due to the fact that Sam jaw was currently on the floor.

"That's... I..." Sam said when he recovered some brain cells.

"Yeah I did that too for a long while it's fun." Darcy told him. "I'll give you the Six Stones but for the rest you'll either have to figure it out yourself or with JARVIS, he is good at puzzles, and if you find something out please share because I got a little lost there myself keep switching them to see which could fit better." She offered and both Sam and JARVIS agreed.

"Tess is the Space Stone, Aether is the reality stone, there is also a mind stone, a Power stone, a Soul stone, and a Time stone." Darcy listed.

Sam started to think about it but quickly Dr Foster came to knock on the window.

"Guess our time is up. Now we'll keep up with the taking care of Darcy day." He said tugging up and to the door a laughing Darcy.

* * *

Notes: _Sorry for the long wait I had a very long writer's block I hope this story is still worth it to you_


	42. Six Degree of Darcy Lewis summary annexe

So I was thinking that if the writer of a story I was following decided to come back to it after almost 3 months especially with a 45 chapters story I would like a summary of what happen and where we're at … So here it is.

Odin wanted to protect the Infinity Stones from the people (like Thanos, the Dark elves…) so they wouldn't get their dirty big hands on it, so he hid them. Not so well, but at the time the Tesseract was supposedly safe in Tromso.

Odin created a temple to hid the Tesseract, and just like every relic it needed protectors and guardians which was encrypted into the people of Tromso's DNA.

Then Schmidt stole the Tesseract. Not the first time it happened in the history of the Earth but the first time someone had the technology to use it. Schmidt killed every Tromsonian thinking that it would free the Tesseract from their influences.

When Steve defeated Schmidt he freed the Tesseract from his bad influence before he felt into the Atlantic deep water.

The Tesseract then activated a program made for it to find a new Protector and new Guardians to protect the Protector. The Tesseract needed to link itself and the people who would protect it and enhanced by the blood of the Super-soldiers (well they fought and their blood got onto it before it felt into the water) the program got super-active and the Bonds were created affecting 99.99% of the current new-born.

The bonds link people who are meant to spent their life together, lovers, families, friends, as well as the people it had been programmed to find to begin with. It leaves as many marks on your skin as you'll have people to bond with in your life.

Scientists, such as Howard Stark, Hank Pym, Charles Xavier or Hank McCoy were called by the US government to do researches on the bonds but they didn't find anything helpful. Lieutenant Ross, who later became a General, never gave up on finding out what had brought on what he liked to call the plague of the century even though no one had died from it ever.

Then came Darcy Lewis, she spent all her life in hiding because although born unmarked she was still bonded to people and unlike any other bonds ever filed, studied or talked about ever, hers were not simple little feelings nagging the bonded brains, hers led to physical and psychological pain, injuries that were not hers, voices in her head…

She had bonds linking her to the future Avengers. She could see through Phil's eyes, hear through Clint's ears, get injured when Natasha was, die when Tony did.

Which led to Darcy being prisoner of a Ross' experiment base while Tony was in Afghanistan, Lucky for Darcy, Betty Ross who was opposed to her father's work ethic but was still doing it because her father had promised to let Bruce disappear if Betty agreed to work on the bonds for him.

After 2 years spent living at Culver University where she met Sharon Carter, Darcy had to get 6 science credits to graduate, and that's how she met Thor, Sif and the Warrior Three when she was in New Mexico with Jane and they would all be super protective of her since they knew who she was even though she still didn't. That's when she met Phil, Clint and Natasha too.

Loki went crazier and decided to take over the Earth. For Darcy, it was a long succession of Death. At first her link to Clint disappeared and she thought he was dead, then Phil died, then Clint came back, Tony died, when she finally managed to get to the Tower she could only fall asleep.

By the time she woke up everyone knew more about the Tesseract, the bonds and herself than her, so she went back to her mother's house in Las Vegas. Where Steve found her and managed to convince her to get back to the Tower with him.

Following the event of NY, the Avengers learned to live together, under the surveillance of every possible agency in the states, spying on them. Darcy, Steve and Clint spent a lot of time together cocooned into the tower, Steve not sure of his place in the new century, Clint under the protection of the very effective Pepper and the psych evaluations from SHIELD, Darcy getting her footing in her new life and new work as the Director of the Avengers initiative. The three of them fell in love and decided to give a shot to Polyamory just before Darcy who was missing her BFF decided to travel to London to see Jane.

In London, Darcy managed to convince Jane to come back to NY with her, but not without bribing her with unlimited resources, the scientific things Bruce and Tony managed to get on the Tesseract and access to Buddy, the miniature autonomic Iron Man, Tony had built Darcy to be her body guard (though he has absolutely no qualification to do so)

Then the Dark Elves happened and Darcy helped Thor and Jane get the Aether back to Odin. The Aether had a bad effect on Darcy. The stone was made to create and modify the universe destroying it or changing its perspective and it needed a host to do what it was meant to. The Aether tried to convince Darcy that no one loved her and she would be better off give herself to it as a host, which she didn't do.

Also in all that I forgot to tell you that everyone knows that Phil is alive and with a new team but until just the morning before where we are at in the story no one knew about Clint, Darcy and Steve.

So life went on, Jane started to work with Tony and Bruce, Steve was working on missions with Natasha and the strike team. Darcy, Steve and Clint revealed their relationship to Tony because Darcy wanted to and the two men wanted to be old fashion and ask for his permission to date her since he had been acting like a parent toward her since the day they met.

Steve met Sam and well we all know how that one ended. After the fall of the SHIELD everyone moved back in the Tower just in time to find out that Clint, who went to retrieve Hunter and Ian from London because no one could call them after the fall of SHIELD, had disappeared. Ian was evil and had kidnapped the two spies in revenge for not being able to kidnap Darcy as he had planned in the first place. He also managed to get his hands on Buddy and tried to reverse engineered the robot leaving him with scratches on his little metal body, and a clingy side making him dependent on Darcy, Clint and Hunter.

To find Clint, Darcy had to use parts of her bonds she only had theorized about and wasn't convinced that she should use ever again.

That night after Steve and Darcy had been so scared about Clint they decided to make their relationship public, at least inside the super-hero community.

In the morning, over breakfast, Darcy and Sam had a talk and after learning that no one had ever forced her to test their bonds and its effects on them for whenever Darcy would be injured, or something like Clint's kidnapping ever happened again, Sam yelled at the Avengers for being stupid.

And that's where we are at.

!

And I finally found out where my inspiration went… For the summer they cut off the re-runs of Law and Order (all of them, the original, criminal section, SVU) and Saturday it went back on and I wrote 2 chapters not even thinking about it…

So I am currently downloading Law and Order so it won't happen again…


	43. The Stupid Plan

**The Stupid Plan.**

Jane wasn't on board with this stupid plan, it was stupid and even her superior brain tended to bug just at the idea of how stupid it was. Sure they would all be safe, or whatever, who cares about that anyway, they had survived two aliens attack with only Thor they didn't need the Avengers, or their community of friends. Pepper however didn't agree and what 'Pepper wants Pepper gets', Jane and the other women in that tower needed to learn how she was doing that and from the fairly small amount of times where Jane actually paid attention to people around her she knew Maria and Natasha would both happily sign up for this class.

"Okay, one, two, three..." Jane breathed deeply, the decision wasn't hers she had only agreed to be the one helping Darcy pack her bags.

She knocked on the glass door not wanting to interrupt what seemed to be an intense moment between Sam and Darcy, the man seemed intrigued by something she had just told him but they stayed silent for a while so she took her chances. Honestly, Jane loved Steve and Clint, well she knew Clint better, the man was fun and knew when to push Jane away from the lab or when to just give her Pop Tart and go distract Darcy, and that was enough for Jane. The point was, she cheered a little internally when Sam yelled at the Avengers, or maybe a lot in public, but she was not the only one doing it so she was safe from reproaches, if there was a plan out there to get Sam and Natasha together, because yes she heard when Darcy ranted about that, Jane was definitely on it.

"Time to go to work Boss Lady?" Darcy asked when JARVIS opened the door. Tony had showed Jane the AI's matrix and it felt a little like violating him, she would not do it ever again she didn't understood it anyway.

"For Sam yes." Jane told them. "For you we have something else in mind."

"That sounds interesting." Darcy said.

"Where did everyone disappear to?" Sam asked Jane.

"Avengers are up in their offices gathering stuff I didn't listen to, 'wannabe Avengers' got down to the gym and armory on the 40th floor, the other are on the family room making phone calls, or maybe in their offices and the Avengers are making calls, I should really listen a bit more to what's going on around me." Jane explained confusingly.

"Making calls for what?" Darcy asked intrigued.

"That's a surprise that I can't talk about." Jane told her clumsily.

"And they chose you to keep your tongue to yourself?" Darcy asked surprised.

"To be fair I don't really socialize they don't know me all that well." Jane admitted.

"So what now?" Sam inquired.

"Well I don't know if you qualify as a 'wannabe Avengers' since you're Captain America wingman and all…" Jane started but Darcy laughed all she could leaning on Sam so she could stay up. "What?"

"Captain's wingman? Seriously?" Darcy told her.

"Oh come on Darcy, I don't have brain cells to lose on that kind of stuff." Jane groaned.

"But I don't like it when people say you are no fun and now we have a witness." Darcy told her.

"If anyone cares about my opinion I think she's better off saying it was an accident." Sam said.

"Yeah no one cares." Darcy told him with a kiss on his cheek which made him smile anyway because Darcy always had that effect on people.

"Do you always do that?" Sam asked Darcy.

"Yep." She told him popping the 'P'. "I never care because people aren't fun enough and complain about things that don't exist."

"So you were saying?" He asked Jane.

"Hunter, Maria, Thor and Rhodey are downstairs, but if you want to yell at more people then you should get upstairs, though don't yell at Clint, he said he's been trying for weeks." Jane said looking at Darcy.

"Hey! That's not fair, you don't listen either when I tell you to go to sleep, or eat or shower..." Darcy retoured.

"Okay, I wasn't judging just saying for the benefit off all the people on this balcony." Jane said enigmatically.

"What did JARVIS do?" Darcy asked sighing.

 _Nothing that you should worry about Miss Lewis, it is now all in order._

"Thank you, all three of you for looking after me." Darcy told them smiling.

Sam left them with the promise of getting upstairs to learn more about the plan after he had checked the armory out. Avengers and their priorities really Jane would never understand.

"So what now Janey?" Darcy asked her as they were both looking at Sam' ass as he walked away, they could, sleeping with people who are supposed to be perfection known to mankind and a God didn't mean they were not allowed to ogle perfectly fine asses.

"You need to pack a bag, or maybe two, you're going on a vacation for a week." Jane told her absentmindedly, because if she had paid attention to Darcy she would have seen her friend getting noticibly more white as she talked and a little shivering.

"Why am I going away? I thought we were supposed to test the bond and I already didn't like the idea but this is way worse I can't go away, I have stuff to do, work, important thing that require me to stay in the tower..." Darcy rambled and Jane slapped her. "Yeah thanks I needed that."

"You'll do the same for me." Jane shrugged.

"So what was that about me leaving the tower? Because I really don't want to do that, actually I promised Buddy I wouldn't do it." Darcy protested.

"First this wasn't my idea." Jane retoured knowing Darcy would calm down at that at least in front of her. "Second you're not going alone, they are all going with you."

"What the...?" Darcy cried out storming out of the balcony and striding to the elevator dragging Jane with her. When the elevator didn't came up to her Darcy sighed " _J_ , you do know that I can just as well take the stairs right? It's just one flight of stairs."

 _I was instructed to keep you down here until you packed._

"Fine, I'll pack but I am not going anywhere." Darcy told the AI going to her room dragging Jane with her. "You're going to tell me all you know about this plan."

"I didn't really listen, they started talking logistic about saving the Earth and I spaced out." Jane admitted.

"I do that to sometimes." Darcy assured her.

"So what I know is that Tony and Clint had an idea about somewhere you'd be safe both from Hydra or Ross and you'd be able to test and train with your bond with the help of someone who apparently knows stuff about that." Jane explained.

"Maybe you should train to listen to other people when they talk." Darcy joked, packing up. "Can I at least know if I need to pack sweaters or swimming suits?"

 _According to the weather forecast I would recommend sweaters but there is a swimming pool so swimsuits might be appropriate too. Sir says you won't need formal clothing if it helps._

"Meaning no heels I am all for that." Darcy cheered going to the bathroom to retrieve her 'ready to travel' vanity case. Darcy was used to packing so it didn't take long for her to be ready, Jane had seen that already several times including when they left her mother's place in London, no matter how scattered her stuff were she would storm the place and be ready in 10 to 15 minutes.

"Let's get upstairs then." Jane said jumping off the bed where she was lounging admiring Darcy's energy.

 _The elevator is waiting for you please leave your luggage on the bed._

"Sure super soldier boy can carry those." Darcy said padding the bags.

Jane and Darcy both got upstairs holding hands, they didn't have time to talk but Darcy only wanted to yell anyway.

"Who's stupid Idea was it to send me away? Because I am not leaving this tower." Darcy yelled as soon as they got out of the cart. "I have work to do, diplomates to sugar talk to, explosions to prevent, people to put to sleep, injured boyfriends that need a talk to..."

She stopped her rant when Jane crushed her hand, making her finally look up at the people in the room.

"No, NO NOOOOOO." Darcy yelled and walked back to the elevator. "No way, that's not happening."

"Darcy at least listen to us." Tony told her.

Jane looked between the two until she spotted Pepper on the couch, the woman was a genius she was sitting next to Clint and had even prepared Popcorn so they could watch what was going to happen comfortably.

"You can explain everything you want it's not going to happen." Darcy said coming back toward the assembled Avengers to at least listen to them, just like Jane knew she would. "I am not leaving my tower to them. They are going to burn it down." She mumbled anyway.

"Your Tower?" Stark cried out, looking at Pepper as if the woman would help him in any way.

"Don't look at me Tony, it's only 12% mine remember?" She told him waving a hand toward Darcy.

"But that still means it's 88% mine." Tony protested.

"You lose 1% every time you almost blow it up, 5% if you actually blow up something. So according to JARVIS I now own 54% of it. So mine." Darcy said and Jane got a little lost into trying to find out how many times Tony blew up the tower exactly, but Clint was nice enough to throw a popcorn at her so she would get her attention back to the show.

"He doesn't even have the right to get a foot inside of the tower" Darcy said pointing at Johnny who had the presence of mind to hide behind Ben just a little. "Who the Hell let Flame-Boy in?"

"I did." Stark told her. "We have a plan he needs to be here."

Johnny snorted at that but quickly went back to hiding when Darcy glared at him. "Don't be so proud of yourself, Dum-E is fully functional and he really likes his extinguisher." She threaten him.

"Why don't you sit down and let us explain?" Steve asked.

"Did Sam saw you with Johnny? Because I kind of don't want to miss that" Darcy finally relented, sitting in the armchair.

"Not yet no, I would never have done it without you." Steve told her smirking. Yeah Captain America was a smart man, Jane knew how pissed Darcy would have been if she had missed that, she was already pissed she missed the first time Steve outrun Sam.

"Okay then explain." Darcy told them.

"We are going to take a Quinjet and head upstate." Tony started.

"You want to go to the new facility? But JARVIS isn't even there yet I am not even sure we have electricity on every level." Darcy told him and Jane looked between the two of them confused, what new facility, where was it? But she was not the only one looking confused so she shut up now was not the time to talk about that.

"No further away." Tony admitted.

"NO. I already told you I don't want to go there. I have nothing against them. I just don't want someone reading my mind." Darcy yelled again and Jane pushed herself a little straighter, she didn't remember that part of the plan.

"Darcy just listen to us please." Steve pleaded and Darcy nodded to him.

"Sam was right we should have pushed so now we are not giving you a choice. As you can see we got ourselves some replacement Johnny and Ben agreed to work with Sam, Rhodey and Maria for the next week." Steve explained. "Maria will take over the urgent things you had to work on but JARVIS said most of your work can wait for a week especially if we are not here."

"Humm... What about Hunter?" Darcy asked looking intrigued.

"He is coming with us." Clint told her and before she could ask anything he continued "He is injured, and Sam reminded us that we need a neutral person to look after you."

"Okay I guess, but Steve is not bonded to me either." Darcy told them taking Steve's hand in hers on her knee.

"But I am too attach I am no better than them." Steve admitted kissing her forehead. Okay Jane wanted Thor to be there, they always make her feel like she didn't cuddle him enough it was annoying.

"I still don't want to go." Darcy told them, but even Jane could tell it was just so she could protest a little more. "And that's a lot of people to introduce Buddy to right now. He is coming with us right you didn't plan on leaving him there?" Darcy asked.

"He is coming with us and we already talked to him about it, he said 'Yes'." Steve told her.

"I want to make sure of that." Darcy told them. " _J_ get the others up here please."

They didn't have to wait a lot for them to get upstairs, Darcy spending the 3 minutes it took giving rules and orders to Johnny and telling him that he would regret it if she found even one mark of his Torch-y ass on any part of the tower if no one had tried to invade it.

As soon as Thor got there he joined Jane on the couch cuddling happily with her and once again she spaced out until she heard a shriek.

"Arghh... I missed it." She cried out looking between Sam and the place were Darcy was standing between Johnny and Steve. Sam and Hunter both looked a little shocked, Maria was visibly using all her skills to hide what she thought but she still had something in her eyes, Jane just didn't know if it was mirth or fear about the destruction of the World.

"How is that...?" Sam very eloquently said. "I mean I saw pictures like everyone. But..."

"We don't have anything in common." Steve assured his friend. "ANYTHING." He told Johnny looking at Darcy tugging her closer to him when he saw the way the other man looked at her, making Jane laugh, Darcy agreed with the idea that the Human Torch was a great superhero but she thought he was an awful human being.

"So everyone is on board with that stupid plan?" Darcy asked, Jane internally cheering that Darcy thought it was stupid too. Buddy came to stand next to Darcy tugging on her jean to get her down to him. Beeping happily to her. Jane had watched that same scene multiple times in London and she still didn't know how Darcy, or for that matter Tony and Clint, seemed to always know what the robot wanted to tell them. "When are we leaving?" Darcy asked sighing.

"We are missing some back up, we'll leave as soon as they get..." Tony didn't finish his sentence a Quinjet landing outside. "And here they are." he said pushing everyone to great the new comers.

"Seriously?" Jane asked dubious watching as Storm, Angel and Cyclops got out of the jet.

"School exchange." Pepper next to her shrugged "We are sending them our superheroes they are landing theirs."

"Okay! I guess." Jane said still not sure of what was going on.

"Plus Ororo wanted to talk thunder with Thor." Pepper added making Jane giggle and Thor looking more interested than he had been in weeks. "And Warren wants to go fly with Sam."

"I thought Sam didn't have wings anymore." Jane pointed out.

"We had a spare pair of wings he didn't know about on base, they are coming." Rhodey said from behind her.

"I thought you hated Worthington?" Darcy asked discreetly to Tony.

"Hate is a big word he is just a rival's son." Tony told her.

"And you're okay with him being around JARVIS?" Darcy asked him.

"I am ready to make sacrifice, plus Pepper is staying here." Tony told her holding her closer.

"You're doing that for me, aren't you?" Darcy probed.

"We are going to be late." He changed the subject.

"Tasha, Clint and Hunter are already in the jet" Bruce came to tell them, "Steve will be there soon with the luggage."

"Time to say goodbye then." Jane said hugging Darcy against her tightly.

"I'll get full data on everything that will be going on." Darcy assured Jane and strangely enough even for Jane she couldn't care less about that right now.

"Just find what will work for all of you that would be more than enough for me." Jane told her letting her place to Pepper and getting back to Thor not listening to him just watching as her best friend got on the plane with her people, waving at them one last time.

"We're just going to the Xavier Mansion not to war." Jane heard Tony say to Darcy to which her Best Friend answer by sticking her tongue at him.


	44. A trip to Hell on Earth

**A trip to Hell on Earth.**

So Darcy was brooding, she knew that already no need to pointing it out. Getting on the Quinjet didn't mean she suddenly agreed with the plan, or that she forgot Clint was injured and she was mad at Steve.

"They know more than either me or Betty about it." Tony said sitting next to her.

"Sorry what?" Darcy asked turning to look at him instead of glaring at the wall.

"My father, he worked on the bonds with Xavier and McCoy, they will know more than any of us." Tony explained.

"Why not Pym though?" Darcy asked.

"I think if it was about normal bonds I would have pleaded for his help but what we all share it's closer to some of the mutants powers, at least for some parameters. The school will be better suited." Tony told her.

"And you all miraculously thought about that after Sam yelled at you and manage to organize everything in the half hour we left you?" Darcy inquired because that didn't sit right with her, Pepper was efficient but not that efficient.

"No we thought about it when I came back from training" Clint intervened "but we didn't know how to talk to you about it since you never want to talk about the bonds." He pointed out and Darcy knew he was right but she would never admit it and sent him a little reminder that she had no trouble experimenting with the bonds, remembering the last night they had spent with Steve and sharing it with him.

Now that Clint seemed distracted and flustered she felt a little better.

"So basically you're kidnapping me." Darcy offered.

"Yes!" Tasha yelled from the pilot seat, even though JARVIS was the one flying the plane now that they were away from the city. "We are kidnapping you because it's the only way you'll listen to us. We are going somewhere where you'll be protected so you won't have to worry about the spies around the tower. We are bringing you to people who can actually help and not just gather data and make speculations. We are dragging Steve because we guessed you wouldn't want for him to be excluded no matter how immature and sexist he acted. And we took Hunter to keep an eye on us make sure we do things the right way and don't just say 'yes' to whatever you want because you're 'you', and because Buddy needed him, apparently the rest of the Avengers aren't enough to reassure him." Tasha explained moving from the pilot seat to the seat next to Darcy's. "I will prove to you that you can trust me even if I have to spend the next 7 days glued to you for it." She told her taking Darcy's hand in hers for good measure.

"That's going to get really weird, really fast." Darcy sighed. She needed to talk to Steve, she couldn't do all that while she was still mad at him, and that was not even speaking about the fact that she had no idea if Professor X would be cool with a three way relationship under his roof or with a gay relationship or unmarried people sleeping in the same room it was going to be complicated enough to go through it without adding 'Tasha won't let me alone' to the pile of weirdness they would bring on.

"Wait, how did you get Scott, Ororo and Warren at the Tower so quickly, you couldn't have plan for Sam's yelling." Darcy asked suspicious suddenly. What if it had all been an elaborated plan?

"They were in Washington we just Hijacked them." Tony shrugged against her.

"Oh okay!" Darcy said getting back to brooding for a little while. She couldn't do it for as long as she had first wished because the fly over to the school in a modified "Stark Quinjet" wouldn't take long at all but she needed to make a point. "Tasha, can I have my hand back I need to speak to Steve?" She finally asked.

"I am going with you promise I won't say a word." Tasha told her looking extremely serious.

"No you're not!" Darcy told her firmly. "Look I promise to let you stalk me all you want but not on personal time with Steve and Clint and this is personal." Darcy told her and Tasha released her.

"5 minutes." The red head told her and Darcy sighed heavily, no matter how much she wanted to relent and just tell 'yes' to Tasha it wouldn't be that easy for either of them, she went to sit with Clint and Steve anyway.

"... It will be okay I'll stay in an other room..." She heard Steve tell Clint.

"You're what now?" She asked surprised.

"We were wondering if it was really okay for the three of us to sleep in the same room in a boarding school." Steve told her.

"And what? The decision didn't require my opinion? I am not good enough for that either? I don't know anything about teenagers? I can't defend our lifestyle?" Darcy yelled at him not caring that, stuck in the Quinjet, everyone could hear them.

"I never thought you were not good enough for anything Darce!" Steve yelled back, "we were waiting for you to be done fake brooding to ask, it's not like Clint could have come to you since you chose to stay on the opposite side of the plane." Steve explained and before she could tell him what she thought about that (which was that he was right but now he would never know) "And I never thought you shouldn't have been involved back then either. I don't really have an excuse, okay, I wanted to be at the tower with you, I was still trying to convince myself that Bucky was just a nightmare that he never was brainwashed or kept on ice to be used, I didn't want to destroy what Peggy and Howard had built because Hydra took over. I was just tired Darce." Steve finally told her not ever looking at her.

Which was bad for him, because she was feeling her tears rolling down on her cheeks, she had been so mad at him for not wanting to listen to her, she had even forgotten about everything else, including the fact that he usually always asked her opinion before going into training with the team. Darcy sighed heavily brushing her stray tears away, leaning down she put a hand on his cheek making him look at her.

"We will find him." Darcy told him before leaning down to kiss her Captain, sitting on his laps when JARVIS informed them that they were about to land. "And you're both sleeping with me, even if we have to come back to the tower every night to do it." She said kissing Clint.

So maybe she had forgiven Steve a little too easily and she knew herself she will bring it up again one day or the other but the man didn't really have a chance to rest since the all SHIELDRA thing and she wasn't that mad at him anyway. Plus he had those baby blue eyes that made things to her, she couldn't help but melt whenever he was sad.

"Please tell me this is not going to be a real thing." She said when Tasha was at her side the second the Jet landed.

"You said I needed to spend more time with you, I am spending more time with you." Tasha told her.

"I have no intention of this become a foursome." She told Tasha showing off the boys with a hand gesture. She watched fascinated as Tasha ogled the men's assets when they got off the plane, the two women the only ones left on board. "You're doing that too." She accused.

"It would be a shame not to. But don't worry I am just looking." Tasha explained.

"Yeah! So same rule apply for Sam?" Darcy asked arching an eyebrow and Tasha winked at her. "For you information, I have the same agreement with Jane and I am sure Pepper wouldn't be opposed, they are great fans of Sam's ass too." She added smiling when Tasha's eyes widen a little no doubt trying to imagine Sam's butt.

"Miss Lewis, glad you could finally join us." A man, she knew was Charles Xavier because she talked to him numerous times on the phone, greeted her totally ignoring the others.

"Was I the only one not aware of my impending kidnapping?" Darcy asked around not really waiting for someone to answer her. "Nice to finally meet you Professor, and it's Darcy please."

"Charles." He told her. "I wasn't aware of any kidnapping plan but they have been planning on bringing you here for quite some time." Charles explained and Darcy looked up from the man in a wheelchair to her proud and fierce Avengers to find sheepish children with puppy eyes and sad looks.

"Oh stop that you all, I am here now so moving on." Darcy told them. "Buddy come here please." She said and as always he came to her right away, even though the hiding behind her part was new. " "Buddy, he is my companion, as you can see he had some trust issue with someone we had told him was an ally, can I trust your student to be friendly with him?" Darcy asked without preamble, better to know right away if they needed to get back home now.

"Oh my God he is so cute." She heard a feminine voice from behind her turning around to face a little brunette, who was kneeling down to be at his level. "Hi! I am Kitty." She told him and Buddy looked between Darcy, Clint, Hunter and Kitty.

"Go on Buddy!" Darcy told him looking at Kitty who nodded covertly.

Buddy beeped to her looking around them to see where she came from but the only door was behind the professor on the opposite side, which seemed to intrigue the little robot who started to fly around her scanning her.

"Buddy that's extremely impolite." Darcy chastised him and he landed next to Kitty beeping sadly.

"I don't mind." She told him keeping from touching him. "You want to come with me? I could show you." She asked but once again Buddy looked at them. Darcy knew he didn't need permission he never asked for one before, he was just wondering if he would be able to find them easily if he went with the young woman.

"Come here." Darcy told him kneeling down she took one of the little side panels off to retrieve the com unit she knew was there. "See..." She told him putting it in her ear. "If you need me I'll be right there. And Hunter never came here maybe he could visit with the both of you?" She asked Kitty but really it was more so Hunter would offer to go with Buddy and thankfully Kitty seemed to understand that.

"I, too, want to know where she came from." Hunter agreed, Buddy flying next to him immediately. At least he agreed to go visit the school maybe being around kids would help him.

Darcy watched as the three of them walked toward the doors and waited until they were out of sight to get back to the people surrounding her.

"I am aware of the situation concerning Captain Rogers, Agent Barton and ..." Charles started.

"Not an agent anymore, and I already told you to call me Clint." Clint told him. "Why do people always do it when Darcy asks and never for anyone else?"

"You got a broken leg protecting Buddy!" Tasha retoured as an example of Darcy's persuasion powers no doubt but it didn't sit well with anyone in the room. "Oh come one I just meant that Buddy can do it too." Tasha groaned and Darcy admitted she was always prone to believe the woman's cold exterior instead of thinking good things first as she was doing with the others.

"Stop trying to get in my head Professor it will not work." Darcy told him turning toward him, she already had enough people in there to know when someone was trying to push thoughts into her head.

"My friend as no manners what so ever." They heard a man say in a deep voice and Darcy squeaked when she looked up.

"You're blue." She cried out and the man made a face so she kept talking to make sure he didn't take that the wrong way. "It's so cool." She said walking toward him. "Can I touch? I want to touch. You look so soft." She added not able to stop herself and he started to laugh deeply which made everyone behind her laugh. "Points Darcy." She mumbled but he still heard winking at her.

"I'm Hank." He told her and she grinned. "Tell you what I let you touch if you let me take a little of your blood."

"Incentive?" Darcy asked crooking an eyebrow. "You're talking my kind of language Good Sir." she said but looked at Tony and Bruce anyway. "Can't they access my file from here?"

"Sure they can if you authorize it, same as anywhere." Bruce assured her.

"We could but Charles and I are DNA specialist we might be able to see or test for things Dr Ross and Dr Banner never thought about." Hank explained in his deep strangely reassuring voice. "If you mind though it could totally wait."

"Hum... I am torn." Darcy said nibbling her bottom lip "Will I be able to resist touching you for so long?" She said sighing "I have a personal space problem." She admitted making everyone laugh again.

"Darcy just go with the doctor we will stay with Professor Xavier and wait for you." Steve told her smiling.

"Oh I need samples from everyone." Hank told them and seeing Steve's face paled he added "You can keep all the results afterward but we are dealing with special people all year long and nothing ever got out of our systems." He assured them.

"I should hope so." Tony pipped in and no one even had to ask to know that he was the one who build their system.

"Still, we are not bonded." Steve said.

"It was my understanding from the files we already received that the modification in the Tesseract's pattern came from your blood so I'll still need a sample." Hank informed him gesturing for them to follow him into the bright white corridor.

"We interrupted you but is our situation going to be a problem?" Darcy whispered to Charles who shook his head.

"On the contrary, shows the students there is nothing wrong with being different than what they could read or watch." Charles told her making her grin, yeah they could totally do that.

"Charles." She said putting her hand on his shoulder so he would stay a little back with her, which was hard with Clint using crushes to walk at a snail pace. "Can you really help us? Or is it just one more wild goose chase?" She asked.

"I won't know unless you let me take a look." He told her and she looked around them.

"Not with them around, is there somewhere we can go while Hank plays vampire?" Darcy asked and heard someone coughing behind her. "Oh yeah, Natasha Romanoff, my personal shadow for this trip, nothing personal she just decided to be really annoying and take the 'you don't know me and don't trust me' speech I gave her as meaning 'please follow me around awkwardly for an entire week'." Darcy explained sighing.

"Sure follow me." Charles told them and took them two doors down the infirmary where the others had piled up.

"Do your worst." Darcy told Charles when he had showed them somewhere they could sit, in what was apparently the X-Men locker room, the Avengers needed one of those, Darcy decided instantly, way better than getting up and down the stairs to get their suits.

"It's not going to be pleasant." Charles told her and she snorted at him putting her hand on her mouth automatically.

"Oh my Thor that's so..." Darcy said blushing. "I am sorry."

"No I get it." Charles told her, but really Darcy remembered Tasha, Tony and Hulk doing the same to her two days prior and it hadn't been okay.

"Did you ever do that before?" Tasha asked him.

"Read into bonded people's mind, 'Yes'. But it was my understanding that this was a special kind of bond that you all were the only ones to possess so 'No' I can't say I ever did it before." Charles explained, logic will get Tasha every time as the woman relax a little.

"Whatever you want to do I highly recommend doing it before everyone notice we're missing." Darcy reminded them

Darcy watched as Charles closed his eyes, concentrating on something intensely, after a few seconds, maybe too little for her to really be annoyed that nothing was happening, he started to hold a hand up getting it to his head for support and Tasha came closer to Darcy touching her shoulder to remind her to be patient no doubt. Darcy sighed and waited longer, and longer, and...

"Seriously, if it's not going to work you shouldn't insist." She told Charles.

"You shouldn't lose patience so quickly Darcy." Charles told her.

"Hey! You're in my head." She yelled finding it both fascinating and extremely uncomfortable.

"I want to take a look, can I?" He asked still in her head.

"Sure whatever." She told him sighing, she got distracted thinking about Steve and Clint and she let him in and... "How did you do that?" She asked remembering the first time she had tried to explain to her grandmother that someone was really sad and she wanted to help. Elizabeth's mother had told her, that her compassion was precious and someday she would be able to help people but she couldn't help everyone she met who was hurting because people were ungrateful and would never do anything to take care of her in return.

"Don't tell them." She thought hoping that he was still there. Darcy remembered when she tried to explain to her that the hurt person was inside of her until the adults yelled at her. She learned later in life that no one would ever understand what she meant by that.

"Stop it." Tasha yelled, now kneeling in front of Darcy who realized she was crying.

"It's okay Tasha, I am fine." Darcy told her smiling at the red head. "We should really join the others though." She said moving to stand up but Tasha stopped her nodding for Charles to go ahead.

"I think we'll be able to help Miss Lewis." He told her before the door closed behind him.

"What was that?" Tasha asked her.

"I don't know, why didn't you ask him?" Darcy told her not really understanding Tasha's problem.

"Darce I tried to talk you out of it for 2 minutes." She told her.

"I guess his powers do work on me then." Darcy offered.

"Darce!" Tasha sighed sitting next to her. "Please give me a chance." she pleaded and Darcy wasn't sure the great Black Widow ever pleaded anyone to do something.

"Why?" Darcy asked holding a hand quickly she wasn't done. "And don't tell me, so everyone will be safer on mission because I don't need you to do that I could take a com and tell you myself if someone was injured."

"I..." Tasha started but stopped herself thinking about it. "The other day it made me remember what it was like to feel you." She said and Darcy moved away. "I used to know you were there Darcy. I remember the day you were born but I forgot, it was taken away just like the rest. I didn't have any mark and they brainwashed us into believing that caring for people would get us killed, they told the girls who had bonds that they needed to push them aside, and just as everything else they taught us one day or another I did it. I want it back Darce."

Darcy looked at Natasha who was still sitting on the bench not even looking at her and she couldn't say anything to the other woman. She felt betrayed, and angry, but she couldn't let herself blame Tasha she knew what the Red Room had done too her she had seen the physical proofs of it all of her life she would probably have done whatever they asked of her just the same, after all she had stayed discreet disappearing under clothes and becoming the shadow of who she would eventually grow up to become to please Elizabeth and the woman never hurt her. But still Natasha never told her any of this, it's been nearly a year and she never said anything about knowing that she had someone linked to her, or even that she already knew since Darcy was born.

In the end Darcy did the only thing she could hugging Tasha tightly against her. "Stop following me around." She told her making sure that her tone was light "we're going for a walk as soon as we're done with the welcome package, you owe me an explanation."

"I can do that." Tasha said getting up and toward the door.

"Tasha wait." Darcy stopped her. "Did you ever speak about it with the others?"

"No it's already hard enough to tell you." Tasha said looking at the bench.

"I meant about the birth thing." Darcy asked again.

"I..." Tasha stopped closing her eyes. "I don't think so no, why?"

"Because you said something... the day we met." Darcy said and Tasha leaned herself against the door watching her. "You said traumatic experiences opened the bonds. Nothing really traumatic ever happened to me. I mean the Aliens, Aether, Tess and other were not fun but I never got physically hurt by anything or traumatized." Darcy continued rambling smiling when she realized Tasha was letting her do it. "What I am trying to say is that, birth isn't exactly fun, actually I saw a documentary saying it was a traumatizing experience for a baby especially I suppose for an unmark baby that the doctors took away from her parents as soon as possible to take blood and other unpleasant things."

"Darce, No!" Tasha told her taking her hands. "Clint would have told you."

"Not if he doesn't know." Darcy told her. "Tasha, none of you have marks, and I was born in the middle of the night, it's entirely possible that he never realized it."

"What about Phil or Tony?" Tasha asked her.

"I don't know about Phil, but our bond was different from the start it didn't have the same purpose." Darcy told her and Tasha arched an eyebrow. "One mystery at the time."

"Tony?" Tasha asked again.

"Do you know my birth date?" Darcy asked.

"It's on your file, yes." Tasha told her.

"No the real one not the one I gave SHIELD?" Darcy told her.

"You gave SHIELD a fake birthdate?" Tasha asked her and Darcy chuckled.

"Steve faked his enlistment papers, I know exactly how old Clint is not how old he is pretending to be, and I don't think you gave them your real birthdate either, so I don't think any of you can judge me." Darcy told her.

"Darcy?" Tasha asked looking confused but proud. Darcy waited her out. "I remember the feeling not the date it's not like they gave us kitten calendars to hang on our cell walls."

"December 17 1991 at 3:17 am." Darcy told her.

"You've got to be shitting me." Tasha yelled. "Darcy that's messed up, why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because it never mattered. My mother never planned any birthday party for me, I don't really remember my grandparents since we left Culver when I was 6, and I guess I never thought it would be a problem, we've only known each other for a little over 10 months and no one asked when anyone's birthday was. We all know Steve's but I am not sure you can tell all the others." Darcy explained shrugging, she knew all of their birthday but since they were hard to get a hold on she never had the opportunity to celebrate with them yet and Tasha's birthday was in July so she didn't know about the gag gift Clint and Tony had found with their breakfast that morning. "Even my father barely made it that night, he was at a conference and got to the hospital just in time to watch me get out." Darcy finished.

 _Knock knock._

"If you two are done, Hank is only missing your samples." Tony told them.

"We're done." Darcy yelled at him looking Tasha in the eyes. "We are not done." She whispered again just for Tasha.

"No we're not." Tasha agreed with her but opened the door anyway.

Hank took approximately all the blood Darcy used to host in her body but her boyfriends were nice enough to offer her chocolate and fruit juice just like when she used to go to blood drives as Max Black in NY. After that they all got to the upper floors, where they were greeted by Buddy who had a few flowers and other drawings on his 'scars'.

"The kids wanted to help him." Hunter said shrugging. But really Darcy didn't care, Buddy was happy flying between them to show his new design off and that was good enough for her.

"You're beautiful like that Buddy. Go ask them if it will stay on until we get back home so Tony can protect them and you'll be able to keep your tattoos forever." Buddy beeped and everyone laughed.

"Yeah sure Little Monster go ask I'll tell JARVIS to find something to cover them with." Tony sighed waving a hand but the tiniest smile was showing on his lips as he started to type on his phone.

Darcy mouthed 'Thanks' when Hunter looked at her dubiously before following Buddy.

"How are you planning to get rid of me?" Steve whispered into her ear making her shiver.

"It's going to be tougher." Darcy joked. "Promise of unlimited sex?" She asked making a fake disgust face and Steve chuckled kissing her neck.

"Logan, could you come to meet our guest?" Charles asked one of the adults who were staying with their back at them talking with the students, well she knew it was one of the adults because she knew Logan was Wolverine but she didn't know which one he was. On second thoughts, maybe the one who groaned loudly? Yep totally him.

"James?" Steve said looking up.

"Another one really?" Clint whispered making them chuckle.

"Used to be my name, or so I've been told." Logan told him when he got closer to them. "Do we know each other?"

"I thought so but it must have been your father maybe, the man I knew should be older even with his powers." Steve told him, sounding sorry and sad.

"No, Captain Rogers, I can assure you it's not, but Logan had a little..." Charles started to explain but Logan stopped him.

"I have no memories of anything prior to 1979." Logan told them.

"Oh! I don't know what happened between 1945 and last year, but I am learning." Steve said shrugging and Darcy rolled her eyes making Logan smile.

"Oh yeah Logan has regenerative powers which I've never been more jealous of then right about now." Clint said showing his leg and hand to Logan who shook his head.

"You knew him back before Freezerland?" Tony asked, but he was dutifully ignored.

"Fell down a tree again Hawkeye?" Logan asked.

"Got kidnapped by Hydra actually." Darcy told him getting Steve and herself closer to Clint instinctively.

"Well I would share the health my friend but I don't know how to do it." Logan said and Darcy felt herself and Steve relax, Logan eyeing them.

"I don't share." Clint told the other man with a smirk and Logan whistled at him. "Mind keeping Remy away from her?" He asked jokingly.

"Could always try but it's going to cost you." Logan told him.

"I still have those Cubans we stole back in 2004, I don't smoke." Clint offered.

"Deal." Logan agreed.

"You haven't changed at all." Steve said realizing too late that he had spoken out loud when everyone looked at him.

"You should go tell Logan all the wonderful things he doesn't remember doing." Tasha said pushing Steve toward Wolverine.

"I was promised a better distraction, no offense man." Steve sighed winking at Darcy.

"We'll still put up, go play with the elderly, you can talk retirement pension, kids this days and all those things old people like to do." Clint told him grinning when Steve leaned in to kiss him.

"Please tell me you don't want me to turn into Hulk in the middle of a school." Bruce asked after they finally made it to Charles's office.

"Not now no. I just don't think Steve needs more stuff that aren't his fault to feel guilty about." Darcy told him.

"Oh okay." Bruce sighed sitting down next to Tony on a couch, Tasha helping Clint to the other one Darcy sitting between them.

"So what now?" Darcy asked.

"For today nothing the classes are almost over, you're all free to do whatever you want and go where you want, Kitty will show you to your rooms. Some of the students asked if they could bother you while you were here." Charles said and the Avengers all nodded. "It was meant for you too Darcy." he told her.

"Me? Why?" Darcy asked surprised.

"They know what you do for the Initiative some of our seniors are interested in helping the school with the politicians and we thought you might like that." Hank explained.

"Oh yeah totally. They don't have to call me Miss Lewis though, do they?" Darcy asked and felt Clint tensing up against her. "We'll talk about it when Betty says your ribs are okay for extra-curricular activities." She told him making him blush and everyone around her groaned reminding her that they were not alone.

"Are they always like that?" Charles asked.

"No idea they admitted to being a couple this morning" Bruce said while Tony said "Yes."

"No I meant, does she always know what you all think about?" Charles clarified.

"No." Darcy said but looking at the other they were all nodding. "It doesn't count as a 'bond thing' I do it for Pepper, Jane, Thor or Steve just the same" she told them.

"That's different." Tasha told her.

"No it's not." Darcy protested.

"You know when Jane needs to eat because you know when her last meal was same goes for her notes but you wouldn't be able to say if she spend half the day in her lab thinking about sex with Thor if you're not actually looking at her daydreaming about it. Same goes for Pepper or Thor." Tasha explained.

"Oh then yeah." Darcy nodded looking at Charles.

"Is sex seriously the only thing you all think about? Even the teenagers don't use it that often in the same conversation." Charles complained.

"Excuse us for being healthy young people with dangerous stressful busy lives who like to find pleasure into simple things, we promise not to traumatize your student." Tony told him.

"Or we can go back to NY, where none of us had been at the same time as our significant other for weeks." Darcy suggested but she was met with shout of 'no' so she went back to her previous brooding. "Seriously though they also talk about high-end science, or firearms and dead people and how to connect said dead people to aforementioned firearms they can talk about that a lot, if you prefer, or traumatizing childhood, they have plenty to say about that too."

"Darcy it's not going to work we are staying here." Tony told him.

"But Dad!" She complained and she had never saw him this angry at her. "We are staying here, I won't complain anymore, and I will follow every given instruction." She said getting up quickly to go sit next to Tony. "I won't call you Dad to make a point ever again, sorry." She whispered just for him and Tony kissed her forehead still with a sad face but not angry anymore.

"See?" Clint pointed them out, Darcy knew that not even Bruce who was sitting next to them knew what she told Tony but she groaned when she realized she had calmed Tony down by telling him exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I am just good with people." Darcy told them.

"Darce!" Clint cried out. "We are here to help you, just let us do it." He told her.

"How are you planning on doing that?" She asked around because really she didn't know how coming here could help more than staying at the tower, except for the geneticists.

"Here we can try things without being spied on, or without you being scared that we'd be called to Assemble." Bruce told her.

"Okay, I already agreed to that part." Darcy said.

"They have facilities that can contain Hulk and allow us to train while using the bonds once we find the way to unlock them." Clint continued.

"We have people who can push you to use them or help you unlock it." Hank offered.

"We could see how they would react to certain events without actually having to drug you, with the help of some of the students." Tony told her.

"I want some of them to interact with you it would help all of us understand how the bonds work inside each of your bodies." Charles finally told her.

"And why is Steve here?" Darcy asked.

"Sex Darcy, remember Sex?" Clint joked making Charles let his head fall down his desk.

"You'll get used to it." Bruce assured him smirking, it was true that he had experience on abnormal social behavior thanks to Tony.

"Rogers is here for training. I didn't know he and Logan knew each other but I knew that since Captain America reappeared some of our stronger students are dying to see if they could beat him." Charles said seeming proud.

"They could always try but no injuries that would take longer than diner to be fixed. Or I'll make more sex jokes." Darcy told him. "I'm sure Steve will enjoy it." She said shrugging when Tasha looked at her. "He always complain that Thor gets distracted when they spar."

With that they agreed to follow Kitty to their rooms, apparently the girl didn't follow the concept of doors, or walls, or any physics theories that Tony couldn't think about anymore anyway. Steve and Logan had brought their stuff up, including Clint bow because he apparently thought his fingers would magically heal while he was here and Steve's shield, which meant Tony had brought his suit and one of Tasha's suitcase was in fact a portable armory. CHILDREN.

Darcy left the boys with the promises that she'd meet them for diner and went to find Tasha, they had a conversation to finish and she had questions to ask.


	45. The source of Russian Truth

**The Source of Russian Truth.**

 _"So do you think this is actually going to work, or did you just want to know if Mystique had been right?" Hank asked Charles as soon as the Avengers had left with Kitty._

 _"If you had asked this morning, the answer would have been 'making sure Mystique wasn't tricking us'." Charles told him._

 _"But?" Hank probed._

 _"But I am actually glad they finally came." Charles said smiling at his friend. "We need to show her that she is not alone." He added._

 _"You said she is the only one and I thought she didn't have the gene anyway." Hank questioned surprised by Charles reaction._

 _"Doesn't mean she doesn't have powers." Charles told him. "She is definitely something else." He waited a few seconds in silence before looking up at Hank. "Captain Rogers doesn't have the gene either, doesn't mean he isn't extraordinary, they all are."_

 _"Did you brought them here to teach a lesson to the kids or to me?" Someone getting in the office by the side door asked._

 _"Maybe a little of both Erik." Charles said laughing. "Thought you were taking the week off?" He asked his friend._

 _"And miss the show? You know I am better than you at training people." Erik told him._

 _"No one is pushing Darcy of the window." Hank said firmly._

 _"Calm down Beast. Can I at least push Stark? I promise not to let him fall." Erik asked smirking._

 _"Let's tell them you're here first." Charles told his friends. "And Miss Lewis as a robotic companion I'll recommend keeping yourself in check around him if you really want to help." He added leaving the secret comfort of his office._

"I brought Vodka you want some?" Natasha asked Darcy as soon as she opened the door to her room. She did promise to explain she didn't promise to do it sober, or to stay for an entire week around teenagers without needing to shoot at Wolverine a few times for fun.

"It's 4pm Tasha." Darcy told her crocking an eyebrow.

"So it's 5 O'clock somewhere?" Natasha tried but Darcy wasn't amused and she didn't look like she would let her get out of the mess she created for herself either. "Fine. Come in. We're not going to speak here." She sighed gesturing at the half open door.

"Want to go for a walk, I heard great things about the property." Darcy told her holding a finger to her lips then to her ear pointing it toward her room. Of course Darcy would think about that, Cap could hear everything, he had told Nat that he could mostly control it but sometime his mind just started to wander and he would listen to people's conversation without meaning to do it.

"Oh yeah sure. I'll give you the Grand Tour." Nat told her, after all she already came to the mansion several times back when they were trying to find out if some of her Red Room colleagues had been mutants.

"You don't really want to talk about it, do you?" Darcy asked her when they ended up downstairs surrounded by the hubbub of the students getting off their last hour of school.

"We all promised to help you understand the bonds, and it will help." Nat told her.

"That's not an answer Tasha." Darcy sighed sounding tired and grumpy.

"No I don't want to talk about it but you're right I am asking a lot I should trust you back." Nat admitted.

"Okay then." Darcy said pointing out the exit and leading them outside and away from Cap's window because you can never know.

"So you were really born the night Tony's parent died?" Nat asked Darcy after a few minutes of silence.

"I was. And before you ask me why I never said anything I might point out the amount of stuff that you guys keep from me or from each other." Darcy told her and well she had a point there.

"Zola implied that Bucky killed Howard and Maria, I think Cap is just waiting for confirmation before he tells him." Nat said without really thing about it.

"God Tasha!" Darcy cried out and stop walking.

"What?" Nat asked confused.

"How can you even tell me something like that?" Darcy screamed at her and really Nat didn't understand what the big deal was about, she was sharing, it was what Darcy asked of her.

"First of Bucky didn't kill anyone, at least not since 1945, the brainwashed Winter Soldier did, just as Clint didn't kill anyone on the Hellicarrier, Loki did." Darcy said poking her fingertip at Natasha's chest and honestly Natasha had to restrain herself to not hurt Darcy for it. "Second, I didn't want to know that, I don't want to be keeping things like that from either of them, and worst what if something goes wrong with one of the experiment you're all planning on happening here and I end up spilling all my secrets, what will happen then?" Darcy said turning her back at Nat suddenly walking away. "We're going back to the tower, right now." Darcy yelled at her still walking toward the mansion.

"Darcy! No!" Natasha yelled back making Darcy stop.

"It wasn't a suggestion Tasha. I am not letting something like that to chance, we're going back to the tower, no one is going to experiment anything on me." Darcy told her looking dead serious.

"No!" Nat repeated.

"Fine, I'll walk back to NY if I have to." Darcy said and started walking toward the Gate's path.

"Just tell her." A man's voice came from behind them, of course Nat knew he was there but she would have preferred it if he staid silent, lurking seemed better right about now. At least Darcy had stopped walking once again.

"No! We're staying here and that's the end of it. What do you even know about any of it anyway?" Nat asked their intruder.

"I was in the office when you called Charles." He simply explained shrugging, and all Natasha could do was growl they really had been stupid.

"What is he talking about?" Darcy asked turning toward them.

"The Tower..." Nat started but Darcy interrupted her. "What happened to the tower? I knew I should never have left it." She mumbled walking toward the mansion again, well that was progress, maybe.

"You're not calling it home anymore." Wolverine told Darcy who stared at him wide eyes.

"I..." She said shaking her head when she couldn't continue. "I really don't see how this is relevant." She finally told them.

"Took me a long time to consider this my home." Logan pointed at the school behind him. "It was hard to come back to it after Striker's raid and if you're selling me out to the professor I will deny it but I would miss my family if I had to go in hiding again."

"Stop telling me secrets." Darcy whispered next to them.

"You didn't even trusted us to bring Clint back." Natasha told her. "Something went wrong and you don't feel safe with us anymore, that's why we brought you here."

"You were the one supposed to explain things to me." Darcy accused her.

"Goes both way Sweetheart!" Logan told her.

"You're staying with us?" Nat asked not that she really minded it wasn't the first time Logan would hear stories about the Red Room but they would usually be wearing a lot less clothes and she would trade stories for orgasms, which she didn't think would happen this time.

"Cap asked me to make sure you didn't get lost." Logan told them and Nat rolled her eyes, she knew part of this property he had never saw before. "And Erik is here, I always feel twitchy around him."

"Erik?" Darcy asked and if Natasha hadn't been herself she might have jump in surprise lost in her thoughts she had totally forgotten about the other woman.

"Lehnsherr!" Natasha told her.

"Magneto is here? You told me it was a safe place." Darcy said accusingly.

"You shouldn't believe everything you read in the 'superheroes gossip' magazine Sweetie. He's actually really nice and helpful." Logan told her and Darcy glared at him. "Okay nice might be a long shot, but he makes a great villain so others would leave us alone." Logan relented.

"You have a fake villain?" Darcy said cheering.

"Don't you have yours? I thought that was what Doom was supposed to be." Logan said smirking.

"Can I adopt him?" Darcy asked Nat, and the red head started to think about Sam back at home, maybe she could convince them to share? Take a page out of Cap's book. No it didn't work like that and she might not know enough about Sam to be sure yet but Logan wasn't into men not even the one they used to have threesomes with.

"Thought you wanted the next one to be a woman?" Nat finally reminded Darcy chuckling to herself.

"Fine." Darcy said sighing again.

"We should walk a little further from the school, it will be less noisy." Logan told them pushing them toward the park.

"So someone is finally going to tell me the truth here or are we going to keep throwing secrets at each other all night? Because once we get back to the mansion I am either leaving or staying and it's only up to me, not any of you, and right now I am going back h..." Darcy stopped herself wincing. "To the tower." She said. "What's wrong with me?" She asked Nat who pushed her toward a bench so they could sit.

"Nothing is wrong with you Darce." She told her but the young woman kept staring at the pond a few feet away from them. "Tell me what you're thinking about."

"The same thing I've been thinking about since we took off." Darcy told her.

"That you didn't want to come here." Logan supplied.

"That they aren't safe there." Darcy said at the same time surprising both Nat and Logan.

"Darce, they have Sam, Maria, Thor, Rhodey, Ben, Johnny, Scott, Ororo, Warren. They are safe it's only three people surrounded by nine superheroes and JARVIS." Natasha told her trying really hard to keep her sigh to herself.

"And who's protecting them?" Darcy asked looking right at her.

"We could send out more." Logan offered. "The kids are always eager to go on missions."

"That would only add people to worry about." Nat told him coldly.

"She's right." Darcy said to Logan without looking at any of them.

"It's only a week Darce." Nat insisted but it didn't change anything. She had hoped being here, then watching Buddy have fun would help Darcy relax but it was not going to be that easy.

"Rumlow and Rollins are dead. JARVIS is on lock down..." Nat started to explain and saw Logan's eyes widen when Darcy started to shiver. "Wait you don't trust JARVIS?" She asked the young woman.

"Don't say stupid thing Tasha of course I trust JARVIS, JARVIS is awesome, I even left him with instructions on how to keep Jane alive while we're here." Darcy said chuckling but finally looking up at Nat a sad smile on her lips.

"You're trapped." Logan said smugly relaxing his stance as if he had discovered the answer to every question of the universe. Natasha raised an eyebrow at Darcy when she started nibbling on her bottom lips.

"Can't help it." Darcy said looking away again, but this time Natasha took the other woman's chin between two fingers to force her to look up. "I know that it's safer inside, JARVIS is looking out for us, after the disaster with the Strike Team no one is allowed upstairs if I didn't approve..." Darcy said mumbling "Except Johnny Storm apparently" making Logan smile "But I am a prisoner, I can't even go out to Starbuck." She continued holding out a hand when Natasha was about to protest. "No please don't tell me that if I want a Starbuck coffee all I have to do is ask, Tony offered to buy me Starbuck when I tried to explain it to him." She told her. "Pepper was in Japan last week, Jane is going to Bern next month, even Betty and Bruce go out to romantic outings sometimes, but do you know when the last time I left the tower was?" She finally asked.

"You were in London for a month." Nat offered.

"Yeah under protection and that was two and a half month ago." Darcy said and Nat was surprised has it really been that long since Darcy was allowed outside, 'wait allowed?' she thought.

"Shit." Nat swore.

"Ding, Ding we have a winner." Darcy said cheering for the show of it.

"You're not a prisoner Darce." Nat assured her and it was true as long as she agreed to take someone with her. "Shit."

"See you can't even think about me leaving the tower alone, can you? I feel as trap as I was..." Darcy stopped herself.

"As when you were with Ross?" Nat asked dubious.

"Well the company is nicer, but yeah sometimes it feels like that. Whenever we have some free time someone will ask about the bonds, and I give blood and people want to theorize and experiment just the same. Steve and Clint help me forget about it when they are here, and Tony always takes me to the Penthouse balcony so I would at least be outside even if I am still technically in the tower." Darcy explained and Nat realized how much of the young woman troubles she had missed trying to stay away from her. "At least most of the time no one is getting tortured that's nice." Darcy said after a few minutes of silence.

"We should get back home." Nat told Darcy after a while "Ouch" So seriously, she knew she couldn't kill Wolverine she had already tried several times but if he touched her again she was going to experiment on softer parts of his anatomy see if he healed as fast down there.

"You have a death wish or something?" Darce asked Logan and Nat could only laugh. That girl believed in her more than she believed in herself or deserved to be believed in for that matter.

"Logan will only die of old age in a century or two. Trust me I tried. Thoroughly!" Nat told her. "Still why the slap?"

"She doesn't want to go back to her cage." Logan explained looking at Darcy. "She probably only agreed to come so she would see something other than the inside of the tower."

"Is he right?" Nat asked Darcy.

"I wouldn't have said it like that but kind off. Look how pretty it is here." Darcy told her.

"If we get a hang of the bonds you'll be able to go out all you want." Natasha said hoping to comfort her friend but all she got in return was a growl from Logan who sighed heavily when she crocked an eyebrow at him.

"Just let it go." Darcy ordered Logan and stood up walking to the pond to play with the water.

"What now?" Nat asked Logan.

"' **If** ' she does as you all say she'll be free? Seriously aren't you supposed to be better at this talking to people shit?" Logan asked back.

"It's not how I meant it I am sure she knows that." Nat whispered to him.

"You know I heard Erik, Charles and Hank talking before I got out, if you all don't get your shit together they might invite her to stay here permanently." Logan said and Natasha stood there quiet for a very long time. She had thought about Darcy getting in danger, getting kidnapped, getting killed, because of them, but never that just as they had thought about not involving her into their lives, she might choose not to be a part of theirs someday.

"I don't know how to fix it." She admitted.

"I don't know about her, but most of the kids here are just happy to not be alone anymore, to be able to show off and share history and experiences without being told they are monsters, or that they have to hide." Logan told her walking away from them.

"I thought you were staying with us." Natasha told him.

"I don't see why I should, she is safe with you and this is the most secure place I have ever visited." Logan explained getting closer to a group of students who were wandering toward them.

"You used to do that then too." Natasha said sitting next to Darcy not minding the dirt.

"I like ponds." Darcy told her. "They are always calm."

"No I meant you staid quiet expecting people to forget about you." Natasha told her.

"It's not like people want to be around me." Darcy said.

"Darce?" Nat asked pushing Darcy's hair away from her face but the younger woman kept her eyes on the small fishes that were getting closer to her hand on the water.

"You all act like you were the only ones with hard lives ever. Like you stumble into mine and messed up everything." Darcy told her looking away and shaking her hand so the fishes would go. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe finally being with you was the best thing that ever happened to me, that for once in my life I didn't have to pretend? I was supposed to feel like I belonged that's what marked people always talk about, find your bond mate and you'll belong somewhere, right? Except that mine are super people and I am still not enough, I still have to hide, to play games, I am still a prisoner of my own life." She continued. "Can you guess how many times I wished none of you existed before I met you?" She asked finally looking up at Nat "Can you try to understand how much it hurts to know that you all wished I never existed? Or at the very least that I would be far away." Darcy told her standing up abruptly. "I don't want to know that you always knew, that they always knew and didn't care, Tasha. I know okay, I understand. I will explain it to Clint and Tony tonight but I am going to ask Professor Xavier to help me close them up forever. No more bonds, no more Stones, you all will be free to go live your life."

"You can't do that." Nat cried out jumping up.

"Sure I can." Darcy told her. "Don't know how yet but if Charles can help me opened the bonds he sure can help me close them."

"You need to give us a chance Darcy." Natasha told her pleadingly, God she was doing that a lot with Darcy.

"I don't owe any of you anything." Darcy said coldly. "I love Clint and that's not going to change even without the bonds, and he'll understand that because he knows how much I love Steve. Tony will probably support the idea, he wouldn't have to ask JARVIS to check up on me every time he cuts himself in the lab anymore. You're the only one complaining, which is a little surprising since, you don't like me, or the idea of me, which is the same as far as I am concern, all I am to you is an annoyance that got Sam to take a bullet for me, and Clint kidnapped."

"You terrify me Darcy." Natasha admitted.

"Come again?" Darcy said chocking on air.

"You're wrong about all of it, and there is so much we all need to tell you but it's true you terrify me." Natasha repeated. "At first I thought I was going to lost Clint but the day he met you he kept texting me silly things about you saving dogs from a shelter..." Nat started.

"I wasn't going to let the Destroyer kill them." Darcy shrugged.

"You didn't run away to protect yourself. You don't have any training and yet you never run away. When Betty told you to run you did it but you still checked that she'll be okay, and you even went into a city where Ross could have easily found you, when Loki came you didn't panic and got to your car to take over the Triskelion you waited for the call you were promised, you followed instructions, you were nice to Tony, you never questioned Clint either on what happened or if he was okay you just took what was coming." Natasha summarized. "You're terrifying Darcy."

"You can kill people with a spoon." Darcy pointed out looking confused.

"And I would do it to anyone who would try and hurt you." Natasha promised.

"No I mean..." Darcy looked at her and narrowed her eyes. "You know what I mean Tasha. Spill."

"Do you know that no one else is able to do that?" Nat asked her hoping Darcy would understand on her own, she really didn't want to expose herself more than she already did.

"What? Terrify you? I think Hulk does a pretty good job at that." Darcy told her grinning.

"He is giant and green and so strong when he punched Thor the God lost a tooth." Nat retoured.

"Oh did you ask if they have a tooth fairy on Asgard? Please tell me you did. I really, really need to know." Darcy told her cheering, that woman was crazy.

"Can't you focus on something more than 5 minutes?" Nat sighed.

"Not if I can help it." Darcy told her shrugging.

"Darce! I never had to care about anybody. According to the Red Room even **I** was less important than a mission, if I had to commit suicide to get my mark than it's what needed to be done." Natasha yelled at her.

"Well you definitely know how to cheer a girl down." Darcy told her sitting back on the bench.

"I just… I've been trying to explain this to you since we got back from London." Natasha said, because maybe admitting it would mean Darcy would listen to her this time.

"It never occurred to you that maybe I didn't want to listen to you?" Darcy asked throwing Natasha off.

"Why?" Nat asked.

"I keep telling you. You don't like me, barely even spend 24 hours with me since the Chitauri. Why would I want to listen to you while you explain all the ways I am wrong for you and for Clint or Tony or Bruce? I don't really need to hear that people I care about don't care about me, I was told it was how it was supposed to go anyway, doesn't mean I am going to run for the hills, I will cut the bonds, free all of you but I will only go away if Pepper and Tony, or Clint and Steve ask me to go away." Darcy told her and Natasha had to restrain herself from getting back inside and getting Tony to find her people to kill.

"Who the hell told you that?" Natasha yelled at her again, even though she really didn't meant it this time.

"Like everyone ever." Darcy told her looking as if Natasha was the one with a problem here because that was perfectly normal.

"Darce!" Natasha sighed heavily sitting next to her. "Can you stay still, shut up and listen to me for like 10 minutes?" When the woman didn't answer she looked at her and shook her head smiling, Darcy could be a real child when she wanted to.

"Clint loves you Darce, and I am pretty sure Steve does too." She started with something easy. "Tony would give you everything he has just to see you smile on days where you're brooding, that's why he goes and stay in his labs when you're sad. I don't know what you're problem with Bruce is..." She said and Darcy hold her hand up asking the permission to talk, Nat nodded smiling.

"Sam asked if Bruce has any choice about turning into Hulk when I get moody, and I actually never thought about that before, because I am an awful person." Darcy said quickly miming shutting up again.

"Well we'll ask him about that but I never heard him complain other than when it's taking time on his research. He usually has time to get off his clothes and turn off the lab nothing ever exploded so I think he is letting the both of you do it freely." Natasha offered but realized quickly that Darcy wasn't going to answer her.

"Jane, Pepper, Thor, Sharon, Betty, Hunter, Sam, Buddy, apparently Charles, Hank, Erik, both of them, Logan, Rhodey, Johnny, Ben, Suzan, Alicia, so I am not sure about Reed but I don't think he actually likes anyone other than Ben and Suzan" Natasha listed holding one finger after another in front of Darcy. "Damn even Fury and Coulson, Darce. All those people care about you how can you still believe that you don't deserve to be cared about?" Natasha asked her, Darcy staid silent but made a face at her.

"Stop thinking that I don't care about you Darce, you really think I spend my vacation in the desert for Clint? Or that I sent you Sharon because she was expendable? Oh, I know maybe you think I would let anyone date Clint just so he would be happy and leave me alone?" Natasha watched half angry half amused as Darcy went from nodding vigorously to looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"You, Darcy Lewis are terrifying me, because I can't help but caring about you, because I am used to getting shot, mind you it's not pleasant but before I met you I would never have hide behind a car letting Cap take a beating trying to get the bleeding to stop, I would have kept going because it's what I am supposed to do. And yes the only other time I did something like that was after Hulk chase after me on the Hellicarrier, not proud of it but I took a moment to let the fear go before I run after Clint." Natasha tried to explain this to Darcy again, hoping this time it would work.

"I tried to stay away, spending more time on missions or at the Triskelion but it didn't work okay, I called JARVIS all the time to know if you were okay, or if you were sleeping better. Of course the traitor never told me you were sleeping with a Super-Solider and the great Hawkeye, but I guess that's between him and me." She said chuckling, she would have some words with the AI as soon as they went back.

"We are keeping you safe inside the tower, out of love not so you would feel like a prisoner, and I am sorry I never thought about any of this, I will talk with the other we'll see if we can manage something so you'll be able to get out more, but with Hydra and Ross and God knows who else, it's just… We don't want to lose you Darce! Tony even suggested putting you in a bubble at some point. I think the Tower is an improvement." She continued shrugging.

She knew her time was almost up and she still had things she wanted to tell her. "We brought you here so Charles could help and you'll be safer and happier and will be able to stay with us without risking your life not so we could send you away. Trust me sending you away was never the plan."

"I remember you, the baby you, I wanted to protect you back then too. You used to be scared all the time, but you were always quiet like if you were trying to hide from the world, and sometimes you would giggle out of nowhere, and it was a magical sound for me. I remember you Darcy. I want more of that." Natasha finally told her standing up to walk the few feet to the pond.

"You heard me giggle?" Darcy asked in a whisper.

"I..." Natasha rewound in her head what she just said and tried to think about what their recent connection had brought back into her memories of her youth looking at Darcy when she found the answer. "Yeah. You would always giggled when you were alone, as if someone was telling you funny stories that I couldn't hear."

"You heard me giggle." Darcy repeated.

"Darce?" Natasha asked her.

"It works Tasha." Darcy told her looking up at her. "It can work."

"I lost you somewhere I think." Nat told her wondering what could work and why.

"Tasha!" She said jumping to join her by the pond. "You heard me giggle." she said laughing.

"I know that." Natasha told her.

"Oh come on think." Darcy told her knocking on her head as she had done when they were laying in bed on the med floor.

"I have been thinking about it for 2 days Darcy, can't seem to think about anything else than that or getting you to understand that I care." Nat cried out frustrated.

"Maybe you need a spa day or something like that we should totally go back to NY get the girls and go to New Mexico, for a spa day." Darcy said clearly imagining it lost in thought.

"Earth to Darcy!" Natasha said waving a hand in front of her. "Mind telling me what I am missing?"

"I was a baby Tasha, I couldn't control the bonds, I couldn't separate them or decide that I didn't want to have voices in my head. I was three when I realized something was wrong with me because my grandmother kept telling me that I was being silly and that I couldn't play pretend having bonds because it would never happen, but I knew that Tony's pain was real, and before that chances are I never tried to close the bonds up." Darcy rambled and Natasha let her do it, they might finally go somewhere after all. "You could hear me giggle, though I wonder what was so funny, it's not like you lived funny lives." Darcy stopped to breath. "You heard me giggle Tasha."

"You already said that." Natasha told her.

"Clint is the only one who ever heard me before." Darcy explained sighing.

"Oh! OH!" Natasha said when she finally understood. "When you were a baby and you were not scared and all shamed by society and your family I could hear you too." Natasha said a little louder than she had meant to.

"Yeah I hear you no need to yell it just yet." Darcy said laughing at her.

"But the sharing bond thing it works, right? That's what you're trying to say? If we get you calm and relax and safe it could work again?" Natasha asked her really hoping Darcy could either see or feel how excited and happy she was that it might work.

"Well at least now I don't think it's a stupid idea that would never work anymore so that's a big step let's not jump to conclusion though. We're missing a lot of facts." Darcy told her and Nat snorted.

"You're spending too much time with the Science Three!" She complained.

"Maybe." Darcy admitted grinning. "But we know it worked on you, we'll have to see if it used to work on Clint and Tony and if it can work on Hulk." Darcy said sighing getting back on the bench. "Yep I am not moving from here ever..." She told Nat gripping the bench to make a point.

"Why?" Nat asked.

"I don't want to tell Tony he missed my birth because his parents died." Darcy told her shaking her head. "Nope not telling him ever."

"You know he is not your dad right?" Darcy asked her already knowing the answer.

"If I ever hear you say that to him I will Taser you." Darcy threatened her and Nat had no intention of fighting it anyway the man was happy to act the part and that was good for all of them. "And you're not my mother doesn't mean you didn't enjoy knowing I was born."

"Oh I think I enjoyed it way more than your mom." Natasha said wanting to take it back right away but Darcy put a hand on or month.

"No take back I won't ever argue about that." Darcy told her. "It's getting late." She said and tugged Natasha toward the mansion, finding Logan halfway there, apparently he had left them to talk but he still kept an eye on them probably listening too. Natasha needed to be more careful she always forget everything when she was around Darcy it could be dangerous, but at the same time she could easily see why even before dating her Clint would never leave her side, it was nice to be 'normal'.

"Think Xavier is letting the kids have weed? It might help the relaxing." Natasha suggested before opening the door to a laughing Darcy who was leaning for support on a similarly laughing Wolverine.

"Yeah people really never cared about her." Nat mumbled to herself wondering if Sam would help with a murdering spree.


	46. Trouble lies in the Shadows of Truth

**Trouble lies in the Shadows of Truth.**

Apparently Natasha and Darcy had fun on their walk if Darcy and Logan's laughter were any indication. Well it had been a long time since anyone actually manage to make Darcy laugh so maybe they had been right to 'kidnap' her. It had been his idea, true, but it didn't mean he actually ever believed it would work, he had only hoped that thinking Charles would be able to read her mind would force her to open up to him. They had tried everything else already and after what she had showed them when they were looking for Barton, he knew she was still keeping things from them, so many things that they would never understand or get to know if she didn't volunteer the Intel.

"Seems like you had fun." Tony told Nat when she came to stand up next to him.

"Not even a little." Natasha admitted.

"Yeah okay keep your secrets." Tony said maybe a little more coldly than he had meant for it to be.

"I am dead serious Tony. Nothing that we talked about was fun." She assured him. "Actually you mind coming with me for a minute?" Natasha asked him, the Russian spy looking sad about something.

"Where do you want to go? Because in any other school I would have suggested the library but those kids invaded it already." Tony told her as a fake secret.

"Yeah they are crazy." She told him grinning at the kids walking around them. "Come on it's not going to take long we can borrow one of the class room." She said tugging him along.

"So Favorite Spider of Mine, what do you want to talk about?" Tony asked her leaning himself against one of the desk so he could look at her without giving out any of his nervous tell, not that he didn't like Natasha, she grew on him, but she said she had something 'not fun' to tell him and that alone made him nervous.

"Cute Stark." She said leaning against the opposite wall. "Okay we don't really have time for me to play cute here. I told something to Darcy. Something she didn't know about and she doesn't want to talk about it with you because it's going to make you sad. So here is the deal I tell you, you pretend to go play with the kids or take a shower or whatever, you pull yourself back together and then you tell her everything is going to be okay." Natasha explained looking at the different books on the shelf next to her.

"So it's the same plan we went for when Coulson told me he found her then?" Tony asked her, because really, Phil had come in his office before the all 'I am Iron Man' press conference and told him he had something to tell him then proceed to explain Darcy, Ross, the Mojave Desert, Clint, Natasha, the bonds and told him "your press conference is in 15 minutes and Miss Potts is waiting for you" as if he hadn't just got his world upside down.

"It's a two-part equation. First of all, when Darcy did whatever she did to find Clint, I remembered some things I had forgotten, one of those being that I used to be able to hear her and feel her, until… Well from her birth until she was too old to have an imaginary friend I guess." Natasha started to tell him and he decided that he needed to wait her out before interrupting her. "Second part, Darcy was born the night your parents died."

"Excuse me? I really think I misheard you." Tony told her trying to think of a different way to interpret what the spy had just told him.

"If you heard that you missed Darcy's connection to you because you were mourning Howard and Maria then you heard me right." Natasha told him rubbing a hand on his back gently. "For what it's worth I am really sorry about it, Tony." And for some reason he actually believed her.

"No I mean you used to hear her." Tony asked and Nat immediately turned herself to look at him.

"You knew!" Nat accused him.

Tony was never really a quiet child, his mom used to like it but Howard, well for Howard having Tony down at the shop would be more or less, more rather than less, like having Hulk in the shop was for Tony, even the quiet cuddling Darcy Hulk, it was distracting. It had one upside though he really soon got his own workshop to blow up and be a recluse in. Right before he was sent to boarding school for the first time if his memories were correct and they always were. Boarding school wasn't so bad. It was worse. Try being the smartest kid in every given room even when you're 4 to 5 years younger than the average students.

Howard had a new theory, something about a glowing blue cube that he wouldn't let Tony play with. Said it was dangerous, that it once threw him across a room. Honestly? Tony kind of wanted to touch it a lot more after that, but he knew Howard would yell at him and ban him from his lab again, not that being tested was the idea of a good Father & Son time Tony had in mind when his dad asked for his help downstairs but he would take what he could get. What 7 years old wouldn't?

One weekend Howard had no choice but to bring Tony with him at the Xavier Mansion, Tony had loved it there, apart from Dr McCoy being all blue because that was really weird. But the professor let him play with whatever he wanted, making a better computer for them and playing with their security, plus there were more people than the first time he had come. Not to mention this time no one tried to stick a needle into him.

Tony knew exactly what they were testing him for again and again, although he could never quite figure out how his father knew about his secret, because he never even told his mom, and mom was nice. Plus, he was a genius, a little genius but a genius none the less, he knew normal people couldn't hear the blue cube talk to them and he wouldn't give Howard another reason to send him away. Even if the cube was nice, that was no reason to listen to it.

"Find the little girl" she was telling him, but for all he knew she was the only 'girl' in his life, the 'all boys school' he was sent away to every Monday morning didn't help with his mission. "Protect her. Care for her." She was telling him every single time he would step into the house for 10 years. At some point when he would get into big clashes with his father he would wonder why _she_ deserved more than he did, how _this thi_ ng could believe he would be able to take care of someone when no one would show him how.

Jarvis was trying, he had been there for him more often than his parents but he always kept a distance between them something to do with him being his father's son that only grew to make less sense as Howard kept sending Tony further away.

Tony never forgot about the Cube but he also knew that he wouldn't find anything more than what Howard had already gotten out of it. At least if anyone had known about the mission the Tesseract had trust upon him he could tell them that he was doing his best to meet and get well acquainted with every woman he met so he would find the mystical 'little girl'.

That was until Tony came back from MIT on December 15th, 1991. The break was long planned, after all it would be Christmas only 10 days later, every school in the country was closed on that time of year. Planned yes, but apparently only by Tony and his new and currently only friend Rhodey, because Maria and Howard had to go to Bern, stopping by DC first and they would only be at the Stark Mansion for the next 20h. Rhodey told him that he should spend the time with them, and they would go party afterward while they were alone, certainly because he didn't want his friend to brood all through the holidays.

It only took 2 hours and one brash comment from Howard on something DUM-E had done clumsily for Tony to grab his car keys storm out of the house and drive to meet up with Rhodey at some military base the man had made some new friends at when they went to present their guided missile project a week prior. They partied hard, not even one of them carrying that Tony was only 17. They partied hard and he suffered through his father disappointed stare all day the day after that. To Tony's utter joy it was a silent stare, he didn't know what the really cute, not 'the girl' waitress he had woken up next to had put in her Eggnog but it was planning on avenging itself.

"Sir?" Jarvis asked around, kneeling down next to the couch where Tony was pleasantly taking a nap, or maybe a sleepy night, since he could now see that it was dark outside.

"My dad isn't here Jarvis." Tony told him groaning at his pounding head.

"I am aware Sir." Jarvis told him looking sad.

"Why are you calling me Sir then? You know how much I hate that." Tony reprimanded him, or as much as you can reprimand someone who raised you.

"And I promised not to call you that anymore until you become my employer." Jarvis said not looking at him.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked feeling himself shiver with fear. "Where are my parents?"

"There was an accident Sir, your father's car got out of the road. I am afraid both of them died on impact." Jarvis told him trying to not cry. Not that Tony would actually know what the man would look like crying, according to his wife the man hadn't cry in public since Tony's birth, but still his usually stoic friend looked on the verge of crying.

"Where is my mother?" Tony asked because for sure the woman could make coffee or tea for Jarvis he would feel better after that. Tony would do it but he would probably pour alcohol into it without thinking about it.

"Mister and Mrs. Stark were both brought to the closest hospital, in a military base town near Culver." Jarvis continue.

"Oh you scared me. That's not my parents' car _J_ , they were going to Bern after DC no need to go to Culver." Tony told him breathing deeply for the first time since Jarvis had woken him up.

"I…" Jarvis started but Tony stopped him. Because of course Howard had lied or change his plan of course he had an emergency he needed to take care of, probably in relation to Captain America, the Bonds or Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel's not so secret work. Tony hated that he knew it had happened just like that, but even more he was angry at Howard for bringing his mom into it.

"You should call the driver, Jarvis, I believe we're needed somewhere." Tony told him because he really didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Mister Stane is here." Jarvis notified him.

"Call the driver, I don't care what Obie says you're not driving us to the airport, Howard was your friend way longer than he was his or my dad for that matter." Tony told him moving his ass up the couch and taking a few more seconds to compose himself before he went to meet Obie, because of course the cops had told Obadiah first, Tony was only 17, but no matter how much he loved his Godfather Tony also knew the probabilities on Stane having called the media circus before he came to tell Tony so he would have a more natural reaction on picture that would increase the stock's prize.

Being a minor he wasn't really needed at the hospital, Obie had taken care of the paper work, sort of adopting him for the next 3 months until his 18th birthday, Jarvis had recognized the bodies not even suggesting for a minute for Tony to do it. So he let himself wander into the hospital, weirdly ending up, at the maternity wing almost crushing into a nurse bringing a little human bundled into a pink blanket.

It felt like being smashed in the face, actually it was like he remembered being slapped felt. Why tonight? Why now, when he could have finally told the all truth to his dad? What was wrong with him? He didn't even know that girl. He should go back to his parents, to Jarvis, to Obie. That's what he was supposed to think about but it was not what he had in mind. No what he had in mind was closer to 'why was she brought to the nursery? Why is she so quiet? Why can he hear the Tesseract again when it's been years since he had seen it? Would he be in trouble if he kidnapped her? Why is she so tiny?' those were the questions running in his head no stop from the moment he laid eyes on her to the moment Jarvis found him sitting on the floor in front of the nursery door watching at seemingly nothing inside.

"Sir, do you want to go?" Jarvis asked, he was pretty sure of that because he thought about asking the man what was wrong with him. But Tony couldn't actually answer, he couldn't move either for that matter.

"Mister Stark?" Jarvis insisted. "Tony!" He cried out finally allowing Tony to move but only to cover his handler's mouth with his hand, he was going to wake the baby up if he continued.

"You're going to wake her up." Tony whispered.

"If you don't mind me asking, Sir. Who am I not supposed to wake up?" Jarvis asked him in the same tone of voice he used when the younger man was drunk.

"I didn't drink anything Jarvis, you've been with me the all-time it took to get here and I doubt I could find alcohol in a hospital." Tony told him, rolling his eyes.

"You always under-estimate yourself, Sir." Jarvis said making Tony smile.

"The baby, you have to stop talking so loud or you'll wake her up." Tony answered his friend's question.

"Which one am I not supposed to wake up?" Jarvis asked pushing himself up.

"That's a trick question. You're not supposed to wake any of them or the nurses will throw us out." Tony told him getting up himself. "Here she is." He said pointing at one of the babies.

"Tony, Mister Stane and Mister Rhodes are waiting for us downstairs." Jarvis reminded him.

"They can wait." Tony told him waving his hand toward the hallway.

"I'll bite." Jarvis sighed. "Why this one?"

"Because she is a very special little girl Jarvis." Tony said cooing at the baby. "I need to protect her, and make sure she'll forever be safe. It's my mission." Tony explained not looking up from her. "Don't look at me like that." He asked of Jarvis. "Do you remember when Dad brought the Tesseract home and I told you I didn't like getting downstairs?" He asked but didn't wait for an answer. "I never told him because he was already disappointed enough about me, but that blue cube told me I needed to find a little girl and take care of her." He said and sighed, yeah he was 17 but it still sounded just as childish and stupid. "I found her." He admitted anyway just in time for Obadiah to get out of the elevator and Jarvis dragged Tony away from the babies.

"Don't tell anyone else, go with them to the hotel, I find what I can about this little lady of yours." Jarvis whispered before greeting Stane and Rhodey. Tony didn't hear what came next, in fact he didn't remember anything from Jarvis talking to Jarvis stepping into his room that night. Stane took it for the grief for his parents it certainly was too but Tony knew that he'd mourn his mother on her grave and this was probably healthier than alcohol anyway.

"Why are you believing me?" Tony asked Jarvis as soon as the man had closed the door.

"Because you're Anthony Stark, you would never lie to me." Jarvis told him simply shrugging.

"What did you find out?" Tony asked exited which honestly felt bad.

"Her mother's name is Elizabeth, she was a surrogate, part of an ongoing research project on the bonds but since the girl has no marks she'll probably end up in the adoption system." Jarvis summarized. "Please tell me we're not going to adopt her." Jarvis told him.

"I need to go back to the hospital." Tony told him after looking at his watch, it was 7:10 the girl was born around 3:30 with any luck, Elizabeth wouldn't be hard to find. Plus, it kind of did explain why there were so many babies at the hospital that night. Though medical research on babies? Even Howard never sank that low.

"As you wish Sir." Jarvis told him accompanying him to the hospital, they said they were there for his parents so they were left alone and after paying his respect to his mother and telling her good bye Tony proceed to hack into the computer they were left with at the morgue finding one Elizabeth Miller easily enough. "If I may, what are you planning to do?" Jarvis asked him when they were alone in the elevator once again.

"Something dramatic." Tony said rolling his eyes. "Something discreet."

"Well whatever it is I hope you're ready for it." Jarvis said knocking on the door they had found.

"Miss Miller, I have a proposition for you…" Tony went right to the point, it involved a shit tone of lawyer-y papers that had to be notarized by Jarvis, some weird back and forth between New York and Culver, both because of the papers, and because Tony liked to spend as much time with Darcy, that's how he had chosen to name her, as he could before he had to go back to his life so no one would figure out she even existed. Elizabeth had agreed to keep Darcy away from any experiments, and refused to give her up for adoption, Tony via Aunt Peggy even gave the baby a legitimate father in Thomas Lewis even if the man never existed, and she was ordered to never say anything to Darcy either about Tony's involvement or the circumstances of her birth in exchange for all of this she would never run out of money, and Tony would help whenever needed.

Well at least that's how he meant it. Jarvis had insisted on Tony receiving at least a picture a month of the baby girl, but after the man's death, Tony didn't even open the letters Elizabeth was sending anymore, he had no one to share Darcy's progress with, and at least with the pictures in sealed envelopes the risk of Rhodey or Obie finding them on accident lessened. Fake Jarvis as he had first called him while writing the codes would be good at tracking her and Tony would never worry again? Right? Because he couldn't care for more people and loose them again that would be awful and by all means Elizabeth should be in love with that girl and would soon decide that she didn't need him anymore, or maybe only his money.

 _Sir, Miss Lewis had been brought to the Emergency with a broken ankle._

JARVIS hadn't wake him up but only because Tony wasn't sleeping and even without his unusual 5 hours a night he still knew that it was about 4 am on the East Coast.

"Do you have any visual?" He asked and JARVIS gave him the video feed from the hospital surveillance. Darcy was crying, which, logical, but hey good point for Elizabeth, for being here in her PJ's, opposite to when Howard and Maria took the time to put their suitable clothing on when his appendix burst, and she was talking to her, reassuring her no doubt.

Tony looked at them, feeling a little stalker-like and looking around himself quite a few times even with JARVIS looking out for him. Darcy was being yelled at. Why was Darcy being yelled at?

 _Sir it appears that the medical team called the Child Services after Miss Lewis told them she broke her ankles sleeping._

"Is that why Elizabeth is yelling at her?" Tony asked not really waiting for the AI to answer he hadn't grown enough to understand anyway.

 _It appears so yes._

"Call Miss Miller every 5 minutes until you get someone on the phone _J_ " Tony told his AI.

"How do you even know?" Elizabeth greeted him with an hour later.

"I'm moving you to Iowa." Tony told her.

"It's just an ankle Stark and I didn't do it." Elizabeth assured him.

"If I thought for even a second that you had, the cops would have been waiting for you and that girl would be with me by tomorrow morning. Now Iowa yes or no?" Tony asked and really what more did she wanted from him, he was asking.

"Wisconsin would be better in fact. But why the move?" She asked him.

"I might believe you but Child Services won't and I will never find her again if they take her from you. So anything you would like to do in Wisconsin?" Tony inquired bored already, if JARVIS had been known he would let him deal with that part.

"I want to open a Bed and Breakfast." Elizabeth told him and Tony didn't care if the woman would actually be good at it, for all he cared it could easily be a front and she could sit on her ass all day, as long as she was there to love Darcy.

"Done. Anything else?" He asked.

"Do you want to know how she is?" Elizabeth asked and Tony could act like he cared for once, like it was important, but he never wanted to give that woman more than the money he promised in exchange for Darcy's wellbeing, he would never have been able to take care of her on his own and she would have been as vulnerable as he was himself just for being a Stark.

"I know exactly how she is." Tony told her before hanging up. He never explained why he did all this to Elizabeth she was 19 then all she cared about was that he had paid more than the people running the experience ever could and for all she cared he was just having a bad case of transference over his parents' death.

" _J_ make fake papers for them. Elizabeth and Darcy Mills, put Lewis as Darcy's middle name, Elizabeth would be able to pretend it was a mistake from the administration and Darcy's first last name is Lewis if she wants." Tony ordered.

 _Really wise Sir. Should I inform Miss Carter?_

Aunt Peggy had helped but since Jarvis' death he was reluctant into sharing this specific part of his life with anyone.

"Only tell her that they don't live in Culver anymore, don't tell her why or where I sent them. If she asked, we argued and Miss Miller doesn't want me to be involved anymore." Tony told him.

Tony helped Elizabeth move a lot after that and finding public schools with high programs in small towns was getting harder as fast as Darcy was getting smarter. After the third time Elizabeth stopped asking how he knew, and just rolled with it, she wasn't a fan of ending up in jail anyway, and Tony never questioned the bruises or the broken bones that kept showing on Darcy's body. He had a really good reason for that, he believed every words Darcy told the adults, and didn't care that he was the only one, why wouldn't she get the injuries out of nowhere after all a glowing cube had talked him into taking care of her.

Afghanistan hadn't been fun, he was in pain at all time, tortured for things he would never give away, and Ynsen had told him he would die there anyway although he had given him a week and it had already been close to a month which none of them was able to explain. He was ready to die there and never give up his secrets but he heard that voice, the Tesseract calling for him, and decided he needed to meet her, Darcy, he wanted to get to know her, to be the one protecting her, he knew she was in NY, knew she had lied to her mother about why she had gone, even though he would totally have paid for college if she wanted to go. He successfully spaced out after his rescue starting to mentally plan for a new building for Stark Industries, a skyscraper in NY, on the plane back to the states.

Then Iron Man, and Stane happened and Phil explained to him how they were all bonded to his little girl that wasn't neither his, or little anymore, and he decided that it wasn't the best time to tell her the all truth so he feigned knowing anything about her, which reading the file Peggy had done too, sent a big check to Culver University, and tried to build something new, with Pepper and the Stark Expo. Oh and Dying, yeah he almost died again too, and then again and again.

"Stark." Natasha barked at him.

"What?" He cried out his head foggy.

"You've been daydreaming for the past 2 minutes." Nat told him rolling her eyes. "So did you know?" She asked and Tony realized that he was going to have to tell the truth now.

"I've been taking care of her since her birth." He admitted sighing heavily.

"You… What?" They heard turning toward the door to Darcy.

"I am going to …" Nat said pointing out the door.

"No, not now, we have a bigger problem." Darcy said tugging the both of them toward the lounge where Tony was surprised to find Hulk.

"How did that happen?" Natasha asked.

"She did it." She told them pointing at a young woman with a white strand of hair.

"He told me it was okay to touch you." The young woman retoured pointing at Magneto.

"I told you not to get involved." Charles yelled at his friend.

"To be fair I went to Rogue before I came to your office." He defended himself.

"We're all going to die." Clint complained and Hulk growled. "Not you Big Guy. Them… They are so much alike it scares me way more than Aliens used to."


	47. Enjoy the little moments

**Enjoy the little moments.**

So it had been established early on that Clint was the underdog in this relationship, and who cared about Darcy and Steve's opinion on the subject, right? Clint might admit he had trust issues, self-depreciation issues, medical issues, sharing issues, and a lot of other issues he would prefer not to think about right now, and maybe just maybe some of those tended to disappear into thin air whenever one of his partners was around. Okay it was a 100%, totally verified theory. Proof if need be into the fact that after his little pain-killers induced cat nap, he was looking fascinated as Steve tucked away all their bags frowning then showing all smiles what Darcy had brought with them to sleep on, which would not be covering a lot of her skin. He surprised himself hoping she had brought something more covering too, you know just something she would be able to hide herself into if she needed a glass of water in the middle of the night or maybe he could stock up on water bottles after dinner.

"Clint?" Steve asked while he was trying to figure out how he would pull out climbing the stairs with bottles and crushes.

"Sorry." Clint said feeling himself blushing under Steve's intense stare. Steve was always looking at him like some kind of mystery he was dying to decipher, a 'beautiful attractive mystery' the man had told him once when he had blurted his thoughts out. Really Clint hadn't blush this much since his first days at the circus it was ridiculous.

"I was just wondering what it would take for us to get her out of it." Steve told him and Clint couldn't help but laugh.

"I was imagining putting more layers on her." He explained when Steve gave him a skeptic look.

"Are you sick?" Steve said laying himself in the bed next to him so he could kiss his forehead as if he was actually checking to see if Clint had any fever.

"No." Clint said pushing him away gently. "Mother hen." He mumbled and Steve chuckled tugging Clint closer to him so he could surround his boyfriend. Clint would never admit it to anyone out of their relationship but he liked it, having Steve's broad body around him made him feel safe and love, the same way Darcy's affection through the bond in the middle of the day could.

"Jealous then?" Steve asked and Clint could feel the quiet chuckle the man was trying to hide.

"Do you know how many hormonal teenagers live here? And I am not even mentioning Logan or Remy." Clint said pouting for good measure now that Cap was full on laughing jolting Clint's body the same time he did his.

"Haven't met Remy yet but I don't think James… Logan is going to be a problem, might not be able to kill him but I remember places that could still hurt." Steve told him.

"I think there is a story there I would very much like to hear." Clint said turning his head to watch Steve's grin grew wider. It was rare to see the man smile at happy memories from the 40's but Clint guessed it was easier when you knew the person wasn't dead.

"Logan was a flirt and the French didn't find it particularly endearing." Steve said miming locking his lips when Clint asked for details.

They staid like that for a little while, Clint leaning against Steve one of his hand resting over the man's heart while Steve's hand was running against his side mindful of his bruised ribs.

"Steve?" Clint whispered not really wanting to disturb the quiet time they were sharing. Steve only hummed his answer, Clint feeling it against him more than hearing it.

"Do you know what Tasha and Darcy wanted to talk about?" Clint asked keeping his voice down. Darcy had disappeared after rolling her eyes at his bow saying she needed to talk with Tasha but she didn't even give them time to ask what it was about, because if Tasha had said something to Darcy about them than she shouldn't be the one making sure his best friend knew how happy he was.

"I don't think it has anything to do with us." Steve said and Clint tried to remember the last minute or so but he was pretty sure he hadn't say anything out loud. "What you're the only one allowed to think Nat isn't happy about that?" Steve said shrugging.

"She is though." Clint said. "I mean happy for us; she isn't going to show it or say anything but I've known her long enough." Clint explained.

"You mean she would have thrown me out of our bed this morning if she had disapproved?" Steve asked.

"See you totally get her." Clint told him sending the both of them into a fits of laughter.

"I don't know, and they went outside." Steve said shrugging. "My guess is 'so I couldn't hear them'."

"How sneaky of them." Clint said eyeing the door. "So how are we going to occupy ourselves?" He asked the man next to him with a big grin plastered on his face.

"We can't! Your ribs!" Steve told him putting slightly more pressure into his caress to prove his point.

"But Steve…" He pleaded making a sad face at his boyfriend.

"No!" Steve said but didn't pull away from him so Clint knew he didn't mean it.

"It's okay you just need to not roll over me, and to let me breathe a little more often because I can't take big breath every few minutes like I usually very much like doing or panting, yeah panting would be bad." Clint said realizing that it made for a lot of 'don't do' for it to be fun for either of them sighing heavily and straightening himself a little so he wouldn't lay on Steve anymore.

"Hey where are you going?" Steve asked tugging him back to himself carefully.

"You're right it's a stupid idea, we should get downstairs you will be less tempting outside of the room." He said turning to look at Steve who looked like that time someone (okay it was Clint) had hide his shield (and Darcy mostly Darcy). "Or not." Clint shrugged scrubbing his hands over his eyes, this all 'Dating Captain America' thing was really hard sometimes, mostly literally though.

"I think it's safer for the kids if we stay right here." Steve said laying down tugging Clint until he was almost laying over him. "I won't be able to think about anything else than your split lips on mine." Steve told him effectively managing to brush a light kiss on Clint's lips.

But well Hulk roaring kind of managed to break the moment not even letting them have time for a little fun. Though Clint was pretty sure Kitty had appreciated it when she barged in the room to ask them to get downstairs, they seriously needed to have a conversation about privacy and the usefulness of doors with everybody they were living with.


	48. Wrong doing, right thinking

**Wrong doing, right thinking.**

Darcy watched as Natasha tugged Tony away. The spy was predictable; she was going to tell him what Darcy had said she couldn't and in all fairness Darcy didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand sure she didn't want to tell Tony herself and Tasha was doing her a favor; on the other hand, if she walked right through there she would listen to Tasha kind of selling her out. What would happen if Tony got mad at her for sending Tasha instead of doing her dirty work herself?

"Let her do it." She heard from behind her.

"Logan, you can't…" She said and sighed. "You don't know Tony…"

"I know Natasha, she wouldn't have done this for any one, not even for Clint." He interrupted her.

He was right, Darcy knew that, Tasha would have said it was a lesson for them or something equally obnoxious, and she would have been right, but for now she had decided to completely take over, not try to make any of them tougher, stronger, just taking care of making sure Darcy staid happy and hopefully Tony too.

"Miss Lewis, what a pleasure." They heard and she watched as Wolverine sighed heavily.

"I am not a mutant Magneto." Darcy told the man before she even got her eyes on him.

"I am well aware." The older man told her and she shrugged taking the hand he was offering her.

"Don't disturb Buddy." She told him looking at his amused eyes.

"Off course." Magneto told her. "I was having a delightful conversation with Dr Banner, he said you didn't see the point of coming here." He pointed out.

"Well as I just stated not a mutant, so yeah kind of." Darcy told him.

"It is my understanding that you are not average human either." Magneto told her raising her eyebrow at her.

"So what you're making an exception for weird human?" She asked.

"From time to time I let my friend Charles convince me that some of them are worth our help. I'd like to know if he was right about you." Erik said and she grinned at him she might not be worth their help but she could totally make sure he would remember her visit.

"Erik stop pretending you're evil." A woman said, not much older than Kitty was.

"Rogue just in time." He told her. "This is Dr Banner" He said but staid between Bruce and Rogue. "and Miss Lewis." He added making a gesture for her to approach Darcy, it was weird but whatever.

"Hi! I am Mary but I prefer Rogue." The woman said taking the hand Darcy had automatically gotten to her.

"I like how in here people prefer to be called by their code names when at the Towers it's the other way around." Darcy joked.

"Rogue what are you doing?" Logan chocked behind her but really Darcy was looking at the woman and didn't see what could be wrong, maybe except the fact that she had a really weird fixation for Darcy's hand in hers.

She didn't have time to wonder much longer hearing Bruce or more accurately Hulk roar from behind Magneto.

"Oh that's not good." Darcy said and looked as several of the seniors got around them quickly. "I am going to need my hand back." Darcy told Rogue who seemed to have totally forgotten other people were in the room. "Hulk-y, this is a school it's full of tiny squishable kids so play nice." She told him turning back toward Wolverine who seemed to have a one sided conversation with Rogue, the woman still enthralled by her own hands. "One, two, three…" Darcy said and sighed and Buddy appeared quickly followed by an armed Hunter. "Put that down." Darcy told Hunter trying to get closer to Buddy who posted himself between Darcy, Hulk and the rest of the world. "Everybody stay calm I'll be right back." She said not giving them a choice before leaving the room.

She ran into Kitty who said she needed to learn how to knock but Clint and Steve would be there quickly to take care of Hulk which made Darcy want to laugh on too many level to count. She let the young woman join the others and went to follow the way Natasha and Tony took a handful of minutes earlier. She should have knocked really Kitty had just reminded her of the importance of knocking but she didn't and she would like to think of the rest as history but it wasn't.

Tony had taken care of her since the day she was born what did that even meant, and what about her parents, and why would he, or why didn't he say anything? Too many question and really it was not the time, she took them to see Hulk and well Buddy because he was the one misbehaving here.

"How did that happen?" Tasha asked looking at Hulk.

"She did it." Darcy told them pointing at a young woman with a white strand of hair.

"He told me it was okay to touch you." The young woman retoured pointing at Magneto.

"I told you not to get involved." Charles yelled at his friend.

"To be fair I went to Rogue before I came to your office." He defended himself.

"We're all going to die." Clint complained, after Kitty helped him get from their room to the lounge by going through the floor, and Hulk growled. "Not you Big Guy. Them… They are so much alike it scares me way more than Aliens used to."

"Why do you need us to take care of Hulk?" Steve asked getting in from the stairs, apparently Air Kitty didn't tempt him.

"Not Hulk, he is a cutie." Darcy told them smiling brightly at Hulk. "But Buddy isn't taking it so well." She said getting them to look at her companion who was surveilling the X-Men and the students assembled pointing out his blasters at them. "Whose idea was it to get those to be functional this early?" she asked and Tony shook his head at her.

"Rhodey." Tony told her.

"Well fix it." She said turning to face Hulk. "Want to tell me what you're doing here Big Guy?"

"Hulk protect Darcy." He affirmed getting her closer to him.

"Okay." She said trailing it off. "Protecting me from what?"

"From me." Rogue told her.

"What about you?" Darcy asked her trying and failing to get away from Hulk.

"I don't usually touch people, if I do and they are mutant I borrow their powers, if they are human it could kill them, well mutant too but it takes longer. Anyway it hurts." Rogue explained. "Why didn't you feel anything?"

"Magneto!" Darcy cried out. "What's wrong with you man? They must have told you I was not a mutant."

"Quickest way to check it out." The man shrugged.

"Great and now we have Hulk, Banner is going to be pissed, the kids are all cute not being scared though. Buddy is going to kill someone. All of this because you don't believe in science?" She yelled at him.

"I still don't understand." Rogue told them.

"Oh yeah sorry." Darcy told her calming down immediately. "I don't get hurt, or well not that way anyway." She told her. "But he does." She said pointing at Hulk. "When you touched me it hurt him not me. Please don't do it again." Rogue nodded putting her gloves back on.

"Buddy come down. They are nice they won't hurt any of us." Tony tried.

"Buddy now it's enough, we are not in danger I need you to trust us I'll call you immediately if I need protection. Now you get down from the ceiling or I'll find a way to send you back to the tower to keep company to the bots." Darcy scolded him and the bot came down to sit next to Hulk sulking.

"What about Hulk?" Charles asked.

"Depends how many more surprises do you have for me?" Darcy inquired.

"None Jamie has been standing in the room since Hulk came out he doesn't seem to be having any effect on you either." Magneto pointed a young boy out. "He nullified the powers of people he gets close too." Hank approached the boy to prove Erik's point, his blue fur disappearing when he got close to the teen.

"Then…" She said turning toward Hulk. "Hulkie-Bear! It's a really old building if you break it it's not going to be as easily fixable as the tower." Darcy told him with a wink, she was putting on a show she knew that Hulk would give them Bruce back if as soon as Magneto admitted that he was done playing her. "They said you'll be able to come out and play this week we should have fun." She continued until Bruce was still Greenish but his normal size again, it was good that the multiple changes this past few months had at least allowed him to control the 'sleep factor' Bruce would still be able to enjoy diner with them, he wasn't as sleepy when he was turning back as he used to be.

"So who are you?" Steve asked crocking an eyebrow.

"Magneto." Erik answered swiftly.

"Like that's supposed to mean anything." Steve laughed.

"Let's see." Tony said watching the X-men that had staid with them. "Metal control, blue fur, telekinesis, X-gene borrower, physics witch, fire starter, super claws, Metal Man…" He said pointing them out, apparently they were used to Tony because they managed not to look offended by the ridicule-ness of his assessment. "Oh and don't get to close to this one Capsicle, he isn't called Iceman for nothing."

Darcy smiled proudly, Tony could be so thoughtful when he wanted.

"You're missing people Professor." Tony exclaimed. "Where are Remy and Mystique?"

"Mystique is on a mission, and Remy took some of the kids to town." The professor explained quickly. "Dinner will be served in 2 hours."

"Not so fast." Darcy stopped him. "I want to know if you're basically planning on sending me all your students to see how I react." She told him. "Because Hulk might not be always so cool with it."

"I can assure you Miss Lewis I didn't know this was going to happen but yes it's part of the plan, in a secured and safe environment, and it would be great if we could find a way for Hulk not to turn out if Rogue was to touch you again." Charles told her.

"We came here because it was safer but we know Mystique had been spying on the tower for days, JARVIS has a DNA scanner. You only allowed us to come because she couldn't get passed the 39th and you needed to know what Darcy was capable of." Tasha told them and from both the shield of Avengers forming around her and the faces they were showing she would say that half of them were not aware of that fact, including her two boyfriends, but apparently Hunter knew, maybe Tasha had told him so he could protect them.

"Is any of this true?" Logan said and she realized he was on her side of the room.

"She is there on a mission to get several of your Hydra employees out of the tower, being who she is has its advantages. Miss Hill and Director Fury both know." Erik explained.

"It's my damn tower." Darcy pouted taking a few deep breaths when she saw the effect it had on Bruce.

"Fury is still giving orders." Tony sighed.

"Hill will have to make a choice she can't work for both sides." Darcy told Tasha.

"We're all on the same side." Steve reminded her.

"Outside? All you want. Inside the tower? It's my universe, my rules, if she can't agree to it we'll settle a SHIELD base on the lower levels, with people not allowed upstairs." Darcy told them. "We can work hand in hand with Fury I don't have anything against him…" She started.

"That's because you throw him off his game." Clint said amused.

"Whatever!" she said giggling. "He shouldn't have tried to take my stuff." She added laughing. "I can work with him, but we are not working **for** him."

"Dully noted Miss Lewis, any new request for a mission will be send to you." Charles told her and she nodded. "Do we have to call Mystique back?"

"No, it's a good mission." She said shrugging. "Just don't do it again." Darcy chastised him.

"I wouldn't argue with her Sir, she won her parking place back from President Ellis just by yelling at him and his guards." Steve informed him, Charles nodded and left them there.

"So how about we play a little game called Truth or Truth?" Darcy asked without looking at any of them.

"Isn't that supposed to be Truth or Dare?" Hunter asked her.

"That only with people who don't lie to you." Darcy explained.

"Okay I think I heard the kids talk about a Basket Ball game and it's calling my name." He told them.

"Take Logan with you." Steve said before he could go nodding for his longtime friend to follow. "Buddy?" He turned to look at the bot.

"You're not grounded you can go with them. But if you get scared don't threaten people ask Hunter or come back to us." Darcy told him kneeling before him so she could pat his little head. Buddy chose to follow Hunter, he seemed to have taken a liking in those kids, and surely wanted to make sure they were not mad at him either.

Everyone took a seat either in the armchairs or the couches around them in the lounge and they stayed silent for a long while, Darcy nuzzling Steve collarbone from her seat on his lap trailing her hand on every part of Clint she could touch, tracing a hickey, Captain Obvious had made on his neck in the time she had spent with Tasha, with the tip of her finger.

"Darce you need to understand…" Tony said and she glared at him, she didn't need to do anything. "You're not mine, I had no legal ground to take you away from Elizabeth, and I was only 17 what was I supposed to do?" He continued acting like if the others were not there listening on them. "I didn't know she was such a bad mother."

"You were supposed to tell me." Darcy retoured.

And so he did. Tony explained everything from the Tesseract to his parents' death and told Darcy about the stack of pictures she probably still be able to find at the Stark Mansion in Manhattan unless Pepper had send them to the Malibu House which he hadn't thought about before and almost had a panic attack over, telling her that if they were there he would find them even if he had to drag the entire ocean for it.

"Calm down Tony, I am sure Elizabeth can send me more pictures if you lost yours." Darcy told him smiling.

"It was not only the pictures, she would send me your school achievements, drawings, your letters to Santa." He explained and sounded in pain from the simple thought of having lost them.

"Buddy I want to talk to JARVIS." She said clicking her earpiece.

 _How may I help you Darcy?_

"Did Pepper move Tony's collectible of me from the Mansion to Malibu in the move?" She asked knowing that she was the only one who would get the answer.

 _Miss Potts put them in a safe under her own name, but she digitalized them first._

"Hum…" Darcy got lost for a few seconds. "Even the un-open one?"

 _I personally vouched for her, she scanned them but read nothing and didn't ask me what it was about either._

"I think she knows now." Darcy sighed giggling.

She was remembering a girls' night at the penthouse were Pepper had told her that her dark hair was going so well with her complexion she was happy, Darcy hadn't get too much of her mother's genes, but that the purple strand she used to wear looked good on her. Darcy had thought that Tony must have found her Myspace pictures but Elizabeth must have send them, certainly with a note saying she had tried to prevent it because Darcy was too recognizable with it.

"Send the file on Tony's phone. Thank You JARVIS" She said hoping he would get that she was thanking him for helping Tony and Elizabeth while she was growing up. She turned off her earpiece and looked as Tony shed some happy tears while he looked at the pictures sharing them with Bruce and Natasha commenting on the one he remembered, like the day she won her first science fair, he looked so proud.

She wasn't sure if she was fine with all this information and it had raised some questions she wasn't ready to dwell on but Tony looked definitely happier know that she had ever seen any adult being about her.

"Oh Shit." She said aloud almost jolting Clint away from their tree way cuddle when she jumped to join Tony on the other side of the room. Thor bless super soldier's reflexes. She took the time to apologize and kiss the both of them gently before getting back on track. "She knows." Darcy told Tony.

"Who knows what?" He asked her tugging her so she would sit between him and Bruce and would be able to look at her pictures. She got lost watching herself grow before she remembered why she wasn't with her boys anymore, gesturing for Steve to catch she took the phone out of Tony's hand and send it to Steve so they would be able to swoon too.

"Pepper put this file together with the pictures she found. Oh by the way she put them in a safe." She told Tony. "How much did you tell her?"

"I told her that I was taking care of you one day when she found out I paid for your private school in Oklahoma, she said she didn't want to know more, and she never asked anything even when we got together." Tony shrugged.

"Which was like a month before I came in, right?" Darcy asked and Tony nodded. "I think there is a gigantic neon sign clue that she believes I am your daughter." Darcy told him and Tony blanched out. "Go call her now!" She said pushing him out of the couch.

"It can wait one more week isn't going to change anything if you're right." Tony said.

"We're good Tones. Not a 100% and I have so many questions but I want Pepper to make a choice for herself, not just adopt me on your behalf. Go call her." Darcy explained. "I am not your biological daughter and she has the right to know it."

"I think Darcy's right." Tasha and Bruce said at the same time laughing it out.

"Your boys are hogging my phone." Tony pointed out.

"Here." She said giving him hers.

They waited until Tony was out of the way before Bruce admitted that he thought Tony was her father too when they first met, when he helped build Buddy, before he got to read her file.

The others kept talking but Darcy stopped listening she didn't even really realize she had left them before she sat on the stairs outside the mansion the weather was nice and Steve who decided to follow her and sat behind her so she could lean on him was keeping her warm.

"You want to talk about it?" Steve asked the hesitation clear in his voice.

"Talk about what? What would you want to start with? Tasha's crappy childhood that was so bad the light of her day was to hear a baby from hundreds of miles away giggle?" She asked looking up at him. "Or how Tony's been a better parent than my real ones, maybe? Oh I know maybe we can talk about how Elizabeth had me for money and only kept me because Tony offered her even more money? Or we could totally theorize about who paid her to get pregnant in the first place." She told him faking excitement.

"We could just talk about you." Steve told her brushing her hair away. "You've been dealing with a lot this past few days…"

"We all did." Darcy mumbled.

"Don't do that to yourself, or to us." Steve told her, manhandling her so she would straddle him and they would be able to talk eye to eye. "No matter how rough our job gets it doesn't mean that your own struggle doesn't matter. If you asked any of them, they rather take care of you than take care of themselves."

"That's because you all have a super hero complex and you're professional avoiders." Darcy informed him.

"Take one to know one." Steve told her grinning.

"Touchée." Darcy sighed. "But my only super hero problem is that there is too many of you." She pouted.

"You are our hero Darce." Steve told her brushing his lips against her temple hugging her close to him.


	49. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Down the Rabbit Hole.**

 ** _1988-_**

"Fury, Nicholas J." Nick told the guard outside of the building.

"Junior." He heard coming from behind the doors and nick groaned wanting to hide himself.

Sure he knew the man would be here but really he was 29 it was past time his father's friends stop calling him Junior especially in a work environment. SHIELD's headquarter was still under construction but they had decided that it was the best place to discuss a super-secret project they wanted to pull together.

"Mr. Stark." Nick greeted the man, following him down the hall to a staircase getting down 3 more floors.

"Your father said you wouldn't say yes without meeting the other involved parties." Howard informed him.

"I read the file but I have to admit, the all program makes me uncomfortable." Nick told him.

"I understand that's why we brought you here." Howard assured him opening the door to a conference room.

Inside Nick recognized some of the people, Assistant director Carter, Dr Pym, Dr McCoy, Professor Xavier, and he was soon introduced to the other officials, Defense Secretary Philips, Lieutenants Striker and Ross, Congressman Pierce, and four people he had never heard or read about and who were not introduced as something other than the World Council, so he didn't ask.

"We all have demanding jobs so let's expedite this meeting shall we?" Dr Pym asked.

"You all know we have been commissioned to do research on the bonds but it's going nowhere, we are missing too many parameters, we need to see how the human biology react to what created the bonds on a cellular basis from the conception to the moment someone meets their bond, see what changes what doesn't how the body reacts." Howard explained.

"But testing kids?" Nick asked.

"Not testing per say, from the day of the conception to the day they'll die, we will meet with them at regular interval talk to them, get some blood, some measurement, nothing invasive, nothing forced and they will live perfect normal life any other time." Peggy explained.

"So you based your protocol on the European environment experiment?" Nick asked, it had been in the news all week, European Authorities had agreed for scientist to test 25 kids as they were growing up on different parts of the continent as to learn how different environment could influence the children medical history, their education.

"In some ways yes, the most important ones are the same the only difference is that needing the testing to begin from the conception all the babies will be conceived by invitro fertilization." Howard informed them.

"You said they would live with their parents." Striker inquired.

"The panel will be genetically approved." Congressman Pierce told him.

"Which means that some volunteers will be couples other will not, from both sex, we will pair them up to get the pool of candidates we need." Howard told him.

"I don't…" Nick stopped. "The bonds aren't hurting anyone, why going to such extremes?" He asked.

"It's not extreme, even pretty soft compared to some testing scientists already tried on youngster when the bonds first appeared. We don't know what happened, it could get worse, kill all of us, put an end to the human race, if we could find the precise moment where the change happens we could prevent it." Pym explained.

"What about unmarked babies? Some are bound not to develop marks." Ross asked.

"We also need them to know what is different in their genes, but after their birth they won't be part of the testing pool anymore." Howard explained.

"What if they come from one of the none-coupled paring?" Nick asked.

"The mothers could either keep them or asked for them to be adopted it's their choice." Pym explained. "Some of the volunteers had already signed papers saying they would give up any rights to the baby so we would give the babies to couples waiting for adoption."

"Are you agreeing with this?" Striker asked Xavier.

"The bonds affect the mutants in the same way and we are geneticists." McCoy told him.

 ** _1991-_** ****

It took a while for the scientific team to find the perfect pool for their experiment, it's been a year already and Nick had never spent this much time with babies in his life. He was glad when he was send to Pendleton to get two of their recruits to the Factory, as the guards had started to call the hospital where every babies were born before going back to their original states.

He met Phil Coulson there, the man seemed to have a higher sense of devotion and ethic. He wanted to tell him all about the Program, get him to agree with his instinct on the project or disagree with it, he wanted someone he could truly trust to tell him that what they were doing was wrong. The original program had seemed perfect but now each person involved wanted to add their own agenda to it. Striker wanted to transfer the Mutant kids to a special facility, Ross managed to get authorization for the Army to adopt the un-marked babies, for now only the ones who were sent to adoption and Howard had been right they only had a handful of un-marked babies so Ross only had two wards for now but he was talking about expending it to all un-marks kids even the ones comings from married parents. Howard and Pym had a fall out after SHIELD decided to test to compound Pym used to turn into Ant-Man during the war, Xavier and McCoy didn't agree with the testing on mutant but knew that they couldn't do anything against it so they cut themselves off the Program taking their formulas with them so Striker would have a harder time singling them out.

But somehow it still continued, and Nick wanted out, he knew Peggy wanted out too, she wanted SHIELD to not be involved anymore, which meant they had to convince Howard that what they were doing needed to stop. But Howard was busy on the West Coast dealing with Stark Industries.

"Miss Miller." Nick said to the young woman, 19 years old, here to be a surrogate to a couple who was ready to pay a fortune to have a baby already pledging to keep them even if they were unmarked and had already signed all the papers authorizing the testing on their child.

"I mean it's not like I can get more money out of doing nothing faster anyway." She was explaining to the woman next to her who seemed to agree.

"Follow me!" Nick ordered, and she did staying next to him silent until she faced the nameless gynecologist in room 32.

"Miss Miller, your tests were all approved so we can proceed to the fertilization. Will you please state your name, your agreement and the reason of your presence for legal purpose." The doctor told her, pointing out a camera.

"Elizabeth Ann Miller, I agreed to be a surrogate for Project Earth Child." She seemed to hesitate and turned back toward them. "Do I really have to say that I am doing this for the money?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes please state all you want the more we get the better." The doctor said.

"Will you show it to the child?" She asked again nipping on her lower lip.

"Only if you agree and they ask for it." He said sighing and she stopped asking questions even though she clearly had more.

"Well I am Elizabeth Ann Miller, I am 19 years Old, my grades are great at Culver U but my parents cut me off, I met my bond already and they were so proud but I was missing some parts he was looking for in a partner, like a penis, well mostly a penis, and they don't seem to think it's a good enough reason to not marry him. I won't be able to keep going to school without the money I can get here, sure it can seem a little cold but not more than any other surrogate, I was promised that you will be placed with really nice parents, and that the testing would never hurt you that's why I agreed." Elizabeth said before turning toward them again. "Oh I forgot. I totally agree on every parts of Project Earth Child."

"Perfect Miss Miller." The doctor said and Nick left the room to give her some privacy.

"Will they have a sister or a brother one day?" He wondered when he escorted her back to the waiting room. It was a question he asked to everyone.

"Yes and No." Elizabeth told him. "I mean I plan on having children some day in the far future but if this works it's not really mine, I know it's not theirs either, the parents who will be keeping the babies, they told me they needed to diversify the genetic pool to prevent problems with paring in the future so both genetic materials came from donors."

Nick didn't know about that part of their experiment, this young woman had agreed to be impregnated with a child that wouldn't be genetically hers, he understood better both why the single women that were coming in didn't seem to have any qualm about giving the babies up for adoption, or how easily Ross and Striker were scoping some of them away from the process.

Nick wanted out, and he would convince Peggy that they needed to put a stop to this.

It only took him 8 months and 2 days to make it happen, Howard's death and Tony's weird obsession with Miss Miller's daughter gave Peggy all the power she needed to put a stop to it. They paid the remaining pregnant women and kept the adoption program until the last baby was born but no new woman had been fertilized after Darcy's birth.

And Tony never needed to know that the reason Darcy and Elizabeth had been under such a scrutiny or why his parents where coming to Culver instead of hoping on their plane was because Darcy was meant to be his little sister.


	50. Being Petty Feels Good

**Being Petty feels good.**

Darcy and Steve were still outside talking about ordinary things when they heard the sound of the portal opening. Looking up they saw one of the kids flying toward them, big white and dark brown feathers wings masking the sun over them when she stopped to zoom in on them.

"You're new." She told them landing on the step next to them.

Darcy turned in Steve's laps so they would be able to both face her, and also because it might have been more appropriate facing a 8 years old.

"Hi! I am Darcy and this is Steve." She introduced. "Your wings are really pretty."

"You're Darcy Lewis!" The girl squeaked.

"Wow! Yes, I am." She told her turning to look at Steve, "That never happens to me." She said crocking an eyebrow wondering if he knew what was going on.

Steve giggled gently hiding his smile in her hair before turning to the pre-teen, hugging Darcy tightly to himself as if he was playing bodyguard for her.

"And who might you be?" Steve told her, icy stare and crooked eyebrow in place to play along.

"My name is Lux, Lux Worthington." She told them holding her hand for Steve to shake, respecting his protective act.

"Are you Warren's daughter?" Darcy asked her shaking her hand when her time came.

"I am not supposed to answer that question." Lux told them her wings shivering visibly.

"That's okay, I'll ask him." Darcy said smirking. She had never talked to Warren before that morning and she had only told him to pick up his feathers around the tower because the Bots were not programmed to do it.

"You're awesome." The little girl repeated.

"I think something is wrong with that kid." Darcy faked whispered making Lux laugh. "You know who he is right?" She said pointing at Steve.

"Yeah Captain America. I know." She told them rolling her eyes. "I live with the X-men I don't care about the Avengers."

"Ouch!" Steve cried out faking being hurt by a hit in his heart.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Whatever." Lux said giggling. But suddenly they heard the gate once more she looked as if the weight of the world had fallen on her shoulders.

"Lux? What's wrong?" Darcy ask kneeling in front of the little girl.

"They were mean to me because my wings wouldn't fit through the door at the candy store." Lux explained.

"Maybe we could help." Steve offered.

"Can I sit on you lap? That would make them regret it." She said suddenly smirking.

Steve laughed and took her over on his laps asking if he could touch her wings, waiting for the others to come.

"I thought you were not a fan of the Avengers." Darcy complained because Lux seemed to be one of the only person she ever met who liked her better but maybe it was all a ruse to get her little hands on Steve like every other women.

Darcy realized she had said a lot of that outload when they both burst into laughter.

"I am not into the all Avengers thing but they are." Lux told her pointing at a group of kids running toward the house.

They all stopped in front of the steps eyeing Lux as if she was offending them personally by being near Captain America let alone sitting on his laps. Darcy decided that it wasn't worth getting jealous over and walked around the kids and teens winking at Steve who was having fun chastising them for bullying his new protégée.

"So you must be our new guests. I have to admit I am pleased with Charles tastes for once." She heard a masculine voice with a deep accent behind her. "Très Chère, I hope you'll allow me to take you out to dinner while you are staying here. The kids are fun but some adult time would be appreciated I am sure."

She couldn't help it, she turned around eyeing the man from head to toe, he was well dressed but after spending the best part of a year with Tony, it wasn't impressing her anymore. His hair was longer than what she liked, although here again her tastes had changed since she moved in the tower, or since she met Clint, she was not going to dwell on that now. Oh and that smirk he was wearing, she wanted to step on it and feed it to him.

"You might want to talk it up with Captain America and Hawkeye, but I can already tell you they won't agree." She told him nodding toward Steve whose eyes she could feel on them. "They don't let me play with others, those super-heroes can be very territorial when it came to their loved ones." She said shrugging.

"A simple 'no' would have been just as effective I can assure you Très Chère." Remy, because she knew now that his French accent could only mean Remy Lebeau had just hit on her, which was gossip worthy for Girls' Night but really needed to be shut down immediately.

"Just a heads up" she said turning toward him once more but pointing at the door where Logan had just appeared. "Clint promised Wolverine expensive cigars to keep you away from me." She told him and watched as he put his hands up and walked toward his follow X-Men instead of staying with her.

It was not really benevolent on her part but she felt way better after that little encounter, smiling and waving at Steve and Lux deciding to give them 5 more minutes before she would drag Steve with her to get to Clint.


	51. Avoidance

**Avoidance.**

Darcy hadn't been actively ignoring the others, but it happened that way. After her standoff with Remy and watching Steve being cute with Lux and the other kids she sneaked back into the mansion and looked furtively toward the living room. Clint caught her doing it but he only smiled and winked at her not getting the attention of the others toward her. She went up to their shared room and fell onto the bed, not even realizing she had been falling asleep until Bruce was sent upstairs to get her for dinner. She promised to follow after a quick shower, but she didn't even move from the bed, and she guessed Bruce had known she wouldn't go down because no one came for her. After several hours, spent somewhere between sleeping and overthinking, she heard the group get to their room.

Her Boyfriends got into the room both stopping at the door, closing it gently but swiftly to avoid their teammates spying on their girl.

"I hate that she has to go through all this." Clint told Steve sighing heavily.

"I do to." She told them, not really knowing if she surprised them as she was facing the window watching the stars.

"Here." Steve said and Darcy listened as Clint yelp before she could feel a dip in the mattress next to her. "Hey baby?" he said brushing her hair away from her face knowing that it would get her attention to him. Steve kissed her gently before looking down at her. "Do you want to change?"

Darcy hadn't even thought about that but she nodded at Steve turning around so she could look at her men. She found Clint laying on the bed arms open for her to snuggle into which she did without further request.

"I am sorry." She told him.

"Hey, Darce look at me." He said holding her chin and trying to get her to look up, she did it because she loved him but she really wasn't in a mood for a long talk. "You went to our room; you didn't run away. Baby Steps." He told her shrugging and smirking when it made her giggle.

"Charles said that you're free to get down and raid the kitchen's fridge in the middle of the night." Steve told her when he came back to the bed already changed in his sweat pants and the Hawkeye shirt Darcy got for him. She could feel Clint's breath deepen just like it always did whenever Steve was wearing something of his. Steve wasn't done though he helped them change, Clint first because the archer took his meds and would soon be sleeping again, then Darcy who tried to battle with them, arguing that she was sad and angry not impotent but nothing would make them change their mind.

Strangely enough, and though Darcy was certain she had only pack a sexy negligee since she didn't know where they were going, she was laying in bed between her two lovers in a tank top and a pair of shorts that were not hers. She looked at both of them not even taking the time to asked them where it was coming from.

"The top is Tasha's the shorts are Bruce's." they both explained to her.

"Tony?" She asked not sure why she was so disappointed nothing came from him.

"I think he is feeling like he failed you in some way and he said if you want he could go back to the Tower." Steve offered.

"Stupid genius." Darcy mumbled getting the covers away from her and getting out of bed before any of them could stop her. "Stupid" She repeated when she opened the door of their room not shutting it off behind her as Steve would be able to hear them and it wouldn't be fair to deprive Clint of it.

She went two rooms to her left and knocked loudly on the door. "Stupid Tony, you better still be in there." She said loud enough that Tasha and Bruce got out of their bedrooms too, the other adult residents of the mansion sleeping on that floor surely giving them some semblance of privacy by not doing the same.

"Darce!" Tony said opening the door.

"I am not mad at you, stop being a baby." She went in the room and got out just as quickly getting back to her room and closing the door without much more explanation grinning when they heard the comment behind the closed door.

"What the hell was that?" Tony asked and Darcy could perfectly imagine the face he made when something made no sense to him.

"I'd say it was her way of saying she loves you." Bruce offered probably smiling at his friend.

"I don't know why though, you're keeping people up and you're you." Tasha added and Darcy could imagine her shrug and the fond smile she would have had as soon as Tony closed his door.

There was a knock on the door and Darcy didn't even ask who it was or what she wanted before telling Tasha:

"Just make sure _my_ Tower is still in one piece and say Goodnight to Sam for us."

"Nothing else to report." Steve confirmed laughing.

"Glad you're enjoying yourself." Tasha mumbled.

Darcy climbed back into bed showing Clint and Steve what she took from Tony.

"How did you know he'd have it?" Clint asked surprised but Darcy frowned at that.

"I… I don't know. I just knew it was in there." She said shrugging and putting her Bucky bear in between them to sleep helping her keep a distance with Clint so she wouldn't hurt his already bruised ribs.

"It's a Bucky bear." Steve said on her other side.

"Yeah, Clint is familiar with him." Darcy said looking up at the super soldier.

"I didn't know you had one." Steve added.

"I thought it was lost, I couldn't find it after Pepper got my stuff from Culver." Darcy told him.

"But you knew Tony had it." Steve insisted.

"I knew he would have it." Darcy agreed. "Steve?" she said after he stayed silent staring at the stuffed bear. "Do you want me to hide it?"

"What?" Steve looked at her and shook his head to take himself away from his own thoughts.

"The bear, do you want me to put it away? Maybe give it back to Tony?" She asked concerned with her lover's state of mind.

"No, but maybe…" He started but stopped himself again to nib at his lower lips. "Maybe we could find one for him." He finally told them smiling.

"Yes!" She said a little louder than she planned to surprising both of them but shrugging it off taking the bear in her arms. "And we could even make it a little sleeve so he would have a metal arm."

"Darce?" Steve said and she looked down at the bear afraid that she might have gone a little too far. "I love you."

"You want to sleep with Bucky Bear?" She asked smiling brightly at him.

"No, it's okay let him protect Clint." He told her kissing her forehead and getting the bear out of her hands and next to his boyfriend as she had placed it when she got back into the room.

"Do you think the grown up version will protect him too?" She asked not really thinking about it.

"We'll have to wait and see, but I hope so." Steve told her holding the covers up so they would all scoot down to sleep.

"I can protect myself." Clint mumbled but Steve managed to get his hand around Darcy and on to Clint to jab a finger at his ribs so to make a point.

"Boys! Play nice with each other." She told them grabbing Steve's hand and putting it on her boob so it would distract him and leaning toward Clint to kiss him thoroughly since it was the only thing they could do with him while waiting for him to heal.

"You know, you two could still have sex." Clint told them in between kisses.

"You saved Buddy and Hunter, you're not getting punished for it." Darcy told him settling down as close to him as she could and taking Steve with her. "Betty said you could have some action through the bond in a day or two, just give time to the bruises to heal up enough for it not to hurt."

"I am fine with just falling asleep with the two of you. We've been apart for so long." Steve confirmed. "I missed you" He added hugging Darcy tightly and kissing Clint above her shoulder.

"Fine you win." Clint told them letting his head fall on his pillow.

Darcy looked at Steve and shared a smiling kiss with him before getting herself comfortable against Clint knowing Steve would follow her lead, thinking that they would have both loved for Clint to be in between them, protected from the world, even if he would have complained.


	52. to make a choice

**To make a selfish choice.**

"We need to talk." Darcy said as soon as she got in the dining room where everyone was having breakfast, well every adult at least, the majority of the students were not awake yet and Bruce was jealous of them to be honest.

When everyone stopped talking to stare at her Darcy sighed heavily getting herself into the chair left between Clint and Steve.

"Stop being so dramatic, I told you I wasn't mad at you." Darcy told them waving a hand in the air hoping they would get back to talking.

"We called Phil." Bruce admitted.

"Hum… What for?" She asked trying to decide what she wanted to eat.

"See if we could get some answers for you." Tony told her.

"Answers about what?" She asked finally looking up at them.

"About you." Tasha told in a low voice as if not to scare her.

"Oh yeah. Whatever." Darcy said shrugging before stuffing her mouth full of pastries.

Bruce looked around the table to the other Avengers but also to their hosts and friends to see if anyone had any idea of what was going on.

"What happened?" Bruce asked her when it looked like no one was going to say anything.

"Hum?" she mumbled her mouth still full.

"We thought you would be impatient to have answers Darcy and you don't seem to care." Bruce told her.

"Oh yeah. I was thinking about it making a list of questions I could ask and then Elizabeth sent me a mail, she read about the fall of SHIELD and she wanted to know if I was okay. It was all cute with a picture of April holding up a little Captain America bear and a full schedule of what she did last week like walking well for 2 steps but that's already a lot right? I realized that…" She stopped drinking her coffee.

"Darce?" Clint prodded.

"I never had a parent to begin with. She is not my mother. You know what a parent does? A parent calls his daughter the minute something is wrong, a parent doesn't wait 5 days to send a mail to know if you're okay, a scared parent manages to make it about you not about your sister when asking if you're dead or injured. Tony said Elizabeth told him she got money for me to be adopted. And now I am wondering why look for the people who didn't care enough to check where my mother and their baby had disappeared to?" Darcy told them calm and resigned.

"Darcy, we all had …" Bruce started.

"You're going to tell me that you all had awful childhood and at least I had Elizabeth?" She asked and he nodded. "Save it, I had an overpriced babysitter and yeah she managed not to beat me up so I guess I won." She said and went back to her breakfast.

Bruce didn't like that, at all, not that he thought she was wrong or that she didn't deserve better, they all did, including most of the kids in that school, whose parents abandoned to Charles or didn't know about their powers. What was wrong according to Bruce was that she was giving up, Darcy wasn't one to give up, she would nag them until they explained what they were working on in a way she could understand and learn from, she would reprogram JARVIS to do what she wanted instead of what Tony had ordered, she managed to survive Ross' experimentation without giving them all up.

"You're not doing that." Bruce yelled at her, surprising everyone. He might have been a mild discreet man but he didn't need Hulk to get angry at the people he cared about. "You are not giving up. I am not going to let you." He said before storming out not wanting to risk a Hulk incident over breakfast.

"What the hell was that?" Darcy yelled at him following him outside to the garden.

"I am sorry" Bruce told her sitting down on the stairs patting the spot next to him for her.

"Don't be sorry, you have the right to your opinion. Just don't storm out." She said sitting down. "So you want to explain yourself?"

"You're strong Darcy, the strongest person I know and I don't want what Elizabeth did to break you. Tony loves you that's why he did it and you know it." He told her looking away. "You know last night Charles explained how you believe that it's normal for people not to care about you the way you care about them because you were told it would never happen." He kept going.

"He was supposed to keep that to himself." Darcy mumbled and Bruce bumped her shoulder so she would look at him.

"He was worried about you, thought you were staying in bed for what he had done to you." Bruce explained. "I think he just wanted us to know he cared and he wouldn't hurt you on purpose."

"You would look into it if you were me?" Darcy asked him timidly.

"Darcy, I still look into Hulk, Tony looked for ways to get rid of the reactor before Extremis, Natasha would never admit to it but she is still getting Intel on the Red Room trying to find files on what they did to her and maybe even find her parents someday, Clint has an alert on JARVIS' system for his brother, Steve spends time helping me or looking for answers about himself in the researches people did on the serum since he got injected with it. Wanting answers doesn't make you weak. Even Betty asked Pepper and Hill if they could find things to black mail the General with." Bruce told her.

He really needed for her to understand that she could ask for help it was her right to and she didn't really need to know that he had yelled at Tony for not telling her before, not alienating his genius friend, just thinking that when Darcy made the decision to live with them they should all have been honest with her.

"If you really don't want the answers we will drop it, but if you're doing it for another reason you need to get over it." They both turned around to find the rest of their team behind them. Natasha looking at Darcy sternly.

"What other reason can I have?" Darcy asked looking back away to the park.

"You could be scared of what we can find or that Elizabeth would be sad if she finds out you know the truth." Tony offered.

"She is still my mom, no matter how mad at her I am." Darcy whispered getting all of them around her.

Bruce realized that for the first time they were letting him handle the situation as they chose to settle slightly away from them and not taking her away to talk. Bruce knew that the team needed him for the science he did with Tony and for Hulk to be there whenever they needed him. He thought he was welcomed to the tower because of Hulk, because of Betty, but thought that having Ross spying on them all was selfish on his part. They didn't even ask for him to join them on this trip, they just assumed he would, and until now he thought it was only because Hulk was bonded to Darcy, not for himself. He needed to make this right, he needed to convince her that she wouldn't lose anyone. He knew it was his own self-hatred that was talking right now but still he needed to make it right by her, to feel like he deserved his place among them.

"You are allowed to get mad at people Darcy." He told her. "But more over you are allowed to know your own history." He said getting her into his arms because she had tears rolling silently on her cheeks and he hadn't meant to make her cry. "To know what Hulk was I had to go back to the formula in my blood, to control your powers you're going to need to know where you are coming from."

"What if…" She didn't finish it looking discreetly around to the others.

"Oh Darcy we all care about you, you need to see that, to trust us, nothing will make us hate you. We all did things we are not proud of; we are not going to blame you for something that happened before you were even born." He assured her.

"Betty is forcing you to like me." She countered and Bruce saw green, literally his pupil was green he knew it and everything around him was green but he decided not to release the girl in his arms, if he had learned something in the months since the Chitauri, it was that Hulk would never hurt Darcy no matter how angry at her he could be.

"Betty isn't forcing me to do anything." He growled and everyone looked up at him but as he watched them anxiously he could see that not one of his teammate moved to get Darcy away from him. Not even Natasha who still had her hands on her knees obviously showing them to him, showing that she trusted him. "Since it's so hard for you to accept that we love you, how can you not understand that we are just the same, we need time, some more than others…" he said with a wink to Steve and Clint who were leaning on each other behind their girlfriend. "To let you in? To show you that we care in a way that you would understand clearly?"

"How could you love me? Sam says I am forcing you to Hulk out." Darcy mumbled.

"What?" Bruce yelled pulling her away from him so that he could look at her in the eyes.

"Well not exactly but he asked if you had a choice and you don't so it's the same." Darcy tried to explain.

"Darcy no!" Bruce said hugging her so tight against him that she couldn't breathe anymore and had to push him away.

"Need oxygen to understand." She told him laughing.

"Well first Hulk is always there but whenever you're near me, he is poking to see if he can get out but if we are in the lab or if some people who he never saw before are here he just lays back and let me lead." Bruce started to explain getting everyone's attention toward him, Tony looking at him with round curious eyes. "Can you even imagine how incredible it feels to be able to tell him 'Not now' and he would listen, to know that he can be something else than a destroying rage monster?"

"Second…" Bruce kept going before she could answer. "You rarely require him to actually get out, most of the times he spends with you is scheduled, like movie nights, cuddling after a battle." Bruce told her glad that she seemed to get his point.

"And finally, when you need him to take over it's because you're in danger, or because you're in a situation you can't handle yourself, I am glad that he can help you and he is always… Well I don't see how else to explain than 'purring' inside my head when I get back to myself." Bruce told her letting his mind wonder to how better he could explain that feeling of contentment coming from the Hulk when she is close to him, if he could he would always keep her around to make himself and his alter ego happy.

"Yeah no." Clint said laughing and Bruce realized he hadn't stop talking when he meant to.

"So Sam was wrong?" Darcy interrupted them.

"Sam was wrong Darcy, you're not forcing me to do anything, I would have told you if it was the case. Just like I do whenever you're forcing me to eat lunch when I am busy." He added to make her laugh.

"If you want answers, we'll find them for you." Natasha told Darcy getting back to the main problem. "We'll always be here for you."

"So what did Phil say?" Darcy finally turned to the others to ask.

"Skye had Intel on the hospital you were born at." Tony told her. "She looked into it when she was looking for things to expose SHIELD with before Phil convinced her to work with him. She said she'd send everything over."

"That's wrong." Darcy said curling into herself getting closer to Bruce who put his arms around her protectively. "That's not possible and so wrong." She insisted on.

"Well it would explain why my parents were next to it, if it was a SHIELD's operation base." Tony said not even masking his pain talking about his parents like he would usually do.

"But Phil, and Clint, and Tasha, they looked for me, they talked about me to people, they…" Darcy stopped lost in her thoughts. "Fury." She whispered.

"We came to the same conclusion." Clint confirmed.

"I thought it was weird that nothing appeared about you on the SHIELD's files when we used their resources to find you." Natasha told them. "Even without naming you it should have shown the raid in the desert, the files about Max, the missions to find me, the test we all went through. JARVIS didn't find anything even slightly related to you or any link to us on any of the files."

"But why? Fury was there the first time I bonded with Phil, he managed to always let you search for me as long as it wasn't derailing you when you were on missions, he…" Darcy stopped looking at all of them. "Who send Phil my phone records when I was living in NY?"

"What are you talking about?" Bruce asked her.

"When I was Max, according to Phil, the little spy team knew I was in NY and then knew I was missing because my aunt's phone records kept showing on his desk whenever he was back from a mission." Darcy elaborated.

Everyone looked at Natasha.

"I didn't do that." Natasha defended herself. "I would have found her blocked number and then her." She argued and it was true, Bruce knew that it was how she had found him both in Brazil and in India.

"Phil and I always thought it was coming from you. I think Phil just didn't want you to explain how you got it because it would have meant a lot of paperwork." Clint informed her.

"Fury and his secrets." Steve said angrily.

"I swear if you find a way to put it on me I will kick your patriotic ass." Natasha told him.

"Never blamed you Tasha." Steve told her and even Darcy still in Bruce's arms was surprised by the use of Clint and Darcy's nickname for their super-spy. Even scarier was Natasha's smiling face to it.

"So we need to find Fury." Clint said to cut through the tension the nickname created.

"Wow, I can't believe I lost to Jane." They heard behind them coming from the front door.

Bruce looked up at him and then at Darcy who was trying to hide herself behind him her cheeks reddening.

"What for?" Clint asked him nodding to Logan who they hadn't seen yet that day.

"Darcy would make a great villain, it's been less than 24h and she already managed to convinced you to get out of here." Hunter explained pointing at a badly hidden Darcy. "We are on a mission here. Fury will still be hiding from you when we get back to NY in a week."

"I knew there was a good reason why we brought him with us." Natasha sighed before standing up helping Steve lift up Clint.

"The kids are all awake, it's show time ladies and gentleman." Logan told them. "You have 30 minutes to change and get use to the training room before the first exercise. I even found something to do for Humpty Dumpty."

"Stop calling me that." Clint complained but left with Logan anyway, the others following.

"I could stay with you for today." Bruce told Darcy, not that he didn't want to follow the rest of the team and see the training room but he didn't like the idea of Darcy meeting with more people who would try to get a reaction out of her like Rogue had done the day before without having Hulk to protect her around.

"Nope, I'm good. Go have fun. Both of you. Hunter will protect me just fine." She said standing on her toes to kiss his cheek before moving away to take Hunter's arm. "So did you find me a student to start with?"

Bruce watched as Hunter stopped walking holding Darcy back.

"How did you…?" He didn't finish just shook his head and went on. Apparently the British soldier had spent enough time with Darcy to learn not to question her.


	53. Hide or Control

**Hide or Control.**

Hunter had found what Darcy and the others were looking for. Not that he was supposed to know what they were doing exactly at the mansion but between the time he spent with her in London and all he had witnessed in the past 36 hours he knew what needed to be done.

It took some time and some efforts to talk to more kids than he ever saw in one place before, managing to make them talk about their powers with a little help from Buddy. That little bot worshipped Darcy and it wasn't hard to convince him to help.

He finally found some, including a girl that could help Darcy see what she was hiding even to herself.

"Miss Lewis, I was asked to stay with you this morning." She said when Darcy and Hunter entered the library.

"I don't…" Darcy started to say looking up at Hunter who just nodded for her to go on standing his ground to show her he wouldn't let her back off. "It's not going to work if you call me Miss Lewis, you're making me feel old when you're probably only two or three years younger than me, Darcy is fine." She finally told her.

"I am Piper." She told Darcy and offered a seat next to herself where Logan and Hunter had previously left coffee and pastries seeing as Darcy had missed breakfast after Bruce yelled at her.

"Don't you have anything more important to do?" Darcy asked her.

"Darcy, just go with it." Hunter told her sternly.

Hunter went to sit behind the two of them taking one of the books that seemed remotely interesting even though he knew that no one was expecting him not to listen to what was going to be said in that room. But as long as Darcy wasn't asking him to leave, he had been brought on to stick to her like glue while she was finding herself and he would have followed that order even if no one had asked him to do it anyway.

The two young women talked about everything and nothing for a while, gossips about their respective teams. Piper seemed interested to know how Darcy, Clint and Steve's relationship worked and Hunter let that slide for two reasons, one he wanted to know too, second he knew that the couple had agreed with Charles to educate the kids on alternative life style. After an hour though he let himself known reminding them that they were here to work on something and pleasantries could wait.

"Yeah okay, we're getting to it." Darcy agreed, not without sticking her tongue at him. "So Piper, what can you do?"

"I see things other people don't." Piper simply answered clearly waiting for Darcy to ask question about it.

Hunter knew Charles had asked his students to do it, always wait on Darcy, he didn't know why yet but he would figure it out somehow.

"I suppose you don't mean like Hawkeye always sees everything even when you don't want him to." Darcy affirmed, snuggling deeper into her chair.

She knew that she couldn't just walk away, and Hunter kind of had seen that type of behavior coming, she usually always had one of the other to cuddle with her when she was forced to speak about things she didn't want to share. If Hunter had to guess it was part of the reason why the Avengers were in the training room while he was supervising this display.

"No not like that." Piper said giggling. "The way Dr McCoy explained it to me when I first came in, it's like everyone was seeing in black and white and I was the only one to see colors. He says that my eyes have more receptor than the average people."

"Average meaning you're not the only one?" Darcy asked her.

"Average meaning that people such as Professor Summers also have more receptors they are just different." Piper corrected her.

"I guess it's not the only thing you can do." Darcy probed.

"It used to be, when I first came in but I learned to interact with what I was the only one to see, making it appear to the others eyes." Piper explained.

"Can you give me an example?" Darcy asked and Piper extended her hand to touch something close to Darcy who immediately jumped away from it.

"No touching." Piper told her putting her hands back on her own knees.

"Darcy?" Hunter asked the woman who had started pacing as soon as she was up. He had never seen Darcy shy away from human contact. The first time they met she hugged him and tugged him to the couch so he could make sure Jane wouldn't change the channel from documentaries to Christmas movies. Watching her standing away from Piper made him question his choice.

"I am fine." She growled at him before turning toward Piper. "Just explain first, Please." Darcy asked gently. Hunter watched as she went from no touching to 'I have to do it' in a couple of seconds forcing herself to do something she clearly didn't want to.

"It's okay I am sorry I shouldn't have tried." Piper started to say her voice a little lower than what it had been before.

"Don't blame yourself, I am just…" Darcy started before looking at Hunter. He knew that there were some things about Darcy he didn't know yet, she was supposed to show him her file and the house rules but they flew away from the Tower too quickly for that to happen. "Bad people tried to test me before and I am kind of extra careful about it now."

"Do you know Dr. Storm-Richards?" Piper asked.

Hunter had never met the Fantastic Four, well not before the previous day when Johnny and Ben came in to help convince Darcy to go away, but everyone knew who Susan Storm-Richards was.

"Susan?" Darcy asked and Piper nodded. "I've spent some time with her yes."

"Great it will be easier to explain that way." Piper said getting herself comfortable on her chair. "So whenever she becomes invisible I can still see her. It was really weird the first time when everyone was wondering what happened and where she was when for me nothing special had happened."

"That must have been fun." Darcy said laughing sitting back into her chair.

"But that's not all, later on she projected her energy shield while training with the X-Men and I was able to tell them it was going to happen so they had time to crouch down to protect themselves. Dr Richards asked what I saw, and I told him I could see a halo around her when she was starting to concentrate. Professor Xavier asked if I could show them where it was and I accidentally touched the shield and everyone could see it suddenly." Piper explained just as excited as if it had just happened.

"Oh, so you could make it so everyone could see what you see." Darcy summarized.

"Yes, I can but I know people like their secrets." Piper told them. "Bobby used to tell me not to touch him because he didn't want people to see that he is always surrounded by little snowflakes, but Professor X talked to him and now he doesn't care anymore."

Darcy looked at Piper for a long time, clearly pondering the pros and cons of letting Piper touch her, then she locked eyes with Hunter and he was certain that she was about to ask him to leave them alone.

"They are all safe downstairs right?" Darcy asked surprising him.

"They are training; I never saw one of their training session but I am guessing they could still get hurt." Hunter admitted.

"But they have people around to help if that happens right?" Darcy insisted.

"Of course, every adult in the house is downstairs." Hunter told her.

"Who's looking after the students?" Darcy asked but stopped him before he could answer. "Not my problem not my house." She said closing her eyes briefly as if she wanted to get her worries out of her head.

"We're all on personal study time for the morning." Piper told her anyway. "Time to do homework, group experiences, and teach the youngest ones the fun stuff you can do in the mansion. It happens often enough that the oldest one know how to take care of entertainment."

It visibly helped alleviate Darcy's worry so Hunter went with it not making any comments.

"If something goes wrong, you get down there to help Steve deal with Hulk. He can't come up here." Darcy ordered Hunter with a stern look and he agreed thinking that she was exaggerating anyway.

"Do it." Darcy told Piper reaching out to her.

Piper took Darcy hand and brushed her fingers just a few millimeters above her skin revealing a bright blue line surrounding Darcy covering every inch of the woman he was supposed to protect. When Hunter moved from his chair to kneel in front of Darcy so he would see better, Piper let go of the woman's hand making the shield disappear.

"What's that?" Hunter asked and Darcy looked away. "I am not going to tell them anything you don't want them to know Darcy, as long as I am sure you're safe." He added making her look back at him nodding before giving her hand back to Piper who executed herself making the shield reappear.

"Just don't touch it yet." Darcy told him and he agreed.

"Is it protecting you?" Piper asked her.

"Not really. I mean I still get injured but it absorbs and derails some things, I guess." Darcy told them.

"Like when Rogue touched you." Piper said.

"Something like that." Darcy said. "I thought it was smaller." She continued. "I never really looked into it. I just knew something was there."

"It's coming from you; it looks like the one Mrs. Richards creates." Piper probed.

"Darcy?" Hunter asked looking up from the shield directly into Darcy's eyes.

"I didn't know it looked like that, I didn't know it was an actual physical thing." She said taking a deep breath before going on but Piper interrupted her.

"It's keeping things inside." She said touching something under the shield making Darcy wince.

"What kind of…?" Hunter didn't have time to finish his question before the shield grew pushing both himself and Piper away from Darcy, making a few of the books fall and pushing the coffee tables on to the wall.

"What the Hell?" Hunter yelled. "What did you do?" He asked Piper but instead of an answer he watched as more things appeared around Darcy as well as all around the room.

"I never saw anything like that." Piper said approaching the shield again completely ignoring Darcy, getting inside easily enough that Hunter decided to do it too, getting closer to his friend checking to see if the woman who was sitting on the floor unmoving was injured.

"I am so sorry." Darcy told them. "It wanted to know if I needed protection; I didn't have a choice." Darcy finally said.

"Wait it's thinking…? It's forcing you to do stuff…?" Hunter asked wondering if he should have stayed on the outside.

"Kind of." Darcy admitted. "Like 80% me, 20% them. Bruce would explain it better." She said before mumbling, "If he knew."

"Them?" Piper asked.

"I don't really know, it's all just theories and Thor's tales. I just know it's not just me." Darcy said shrugging.

Hunter was starting to see what the Avengers had been so reticent about where Darcy was concerned. The all situation was confusing and only giving them more questions than answers.

"Wait!" Piper suddenly yelped getting Hunter and Darcy's attention toward her. She was playing with colorful lines that were going in different directions. "I know what those are. But they usually go away after a few minutes." Piper said still tracing the lines with her fingers making them shine. "I saw some of the students find their bond-mates those colorful lines appear when they meet but it disappears as soon as the bond is settled." Piper explained and Darcy started to fidget looking at the door, Hunter could feel her need to go away deep in his bones, but she made a promise she would see through.

"Why are some shiny when some are black?" Darcy asked when all Hunter would have asked was why there was so many as at least 150 lines appeared around them some of them passing through them.

"4, you're only supposed to have 4." He whispered to her anyway looking at 7 specifically colored lined though one of them was blander than the others.

"6." Darcy admitted looking at him sternly as to order him not to ask now which Hunter followed.

They both turned back to Piper who was still looking for an answer to give to Darcy.

"The black ones are…" She started showing that one of them was going to Hunter who tried to brush it away in vain.

"Wait if it's what I think it is why don't you…?" Darcy started to ask then shut up looking up at Piper before adding a small. "Sorry."

"… maybe we should follow another one. To be sure." The student said looking up at them. "If you don't mind."

"Chose one." Darcy ordered her. "Shut down everything else." She said waiting for Piper to turn the shield invisible again, while concentrating on making it go back onto her skin only letting one of the black line appear.

"Can you make it so we're the only one to see it? I don't want people to ask question." Darcy asked her.

"Mr. Hunter needs to touch one of us, I can't control everything." Piper admitted blushing even though looking for all the world as if she wanted to be able to control more of her power to find answers to the Darcy enigma.

"Mr. Hunter, hum?" Darcy mocked him taking his hand in hers with a smile.

Hunter rolled his eyes at her and followed the two women out of the room hoping no one would get inside before they had time to tidy up.

"So is Bobby your bond-mate?" Darcy asked after they had been following the line for a few seconds getting around walls or doors that it would go right through they ended up next to the training room where the line cut itself in two, both parts leading inside and Hunter was saved from having to answer that question, he knew drinking tequila with the girls in London would come back to haunt him.

"What now?" Darcy asked and Piper led them to a viewing room on the far side that happened to be empty. She turned the monitors on and waited for the line to appear on the screen for everyone, Hunter guessed that she had been able to see it before they did.

"We all come down here to spy on the X-Men when they train." She explained.

"There." Darcy said pointing at Kitty. "Where is the second one?" she asked and Piper switched screens. "Stop. Go back." Darcy told her. "Here." She said pointing at Bobby. "They are bonded aren't they?" Darcy asked Piper who nodded.

"Something isn't adding up." Piper said switching screens again.

"Back to the library now." Hunter told them when he saw Steve and Wolverine on the screen looking right toward the room they were squatting.

The walk back to the library was quicker and they were all relieved that no one had come to look for them.

"Here is what I have been told this morning." Piper snapped at them. "You're not a mutant, your powers or whatever you call it come from the Tesseract which created all the bonds not just yours because it was looking for all of you specifically. Now here is my question." Piper told them looking like she might killed them if she didn't get the right answer prompting Hunter to put himself between Piper and Darcy. "What does Captain America have to do with it?"

"What are you talking about?" Darcy asked pushing Hunter away rolling her eyes at him.

"There was a second line coming from Kitty and Bobby leading to him." Piper yelled at them.

"Oh!" Darcy yelped laughing as if someone as just lifted the weight of the world off her shoulders.

Hunter turned away from her managing to stand next to an equally dumbfounded Piper.

"Steve is …" She hesitated "Well that's for him to discuss if he wants to." Darcy explained. "As for me, I am the guardian of the bonds as I am the guardian of the Tesseract or so Thor explained."

"You're linked to all the bonds?" Hunter asked sounding out of breath even to his own ears.

"Until Piper made them all appear I would have said 'No'." Darcy said in a defensive tone, as if she was ready to be yelled at for doing something bad. "But maybe in some way! I guess! I didn't know though, I thought it just meant I was responsible for protecting the Tesseract because if something happened to it the bonds would be destroyed." Darcy explained.

"That's what the shield is keeping in?" Piper asked concerned.

"No" Darcy said clearly regretting not having a filter immediately. "If it was no one would have bonds they would all be inside me. The shield keeps other things safe." She admitted.

"Like what?" Hunter insisted.

"Things I don't want getting out." Darcy told him, like it was obvious and he should stop asking stupid questions but before he could comment she gave up sighing. "You know about the side effects of my bonds with the team?" Darcy asked and Hunter nodded. "They've been asking why they don't have any, or well they did the first time I met them I guess it was stronger than me, but…"

"It's keeping it inside." Hunter offered. "It must be painful, and tiring. What would happen if you released it, if you couldn't contain it anymore or if they ended up inside of it like we did a few minutes ago?"

"What difference would it make for them to be inside?" Darcy asked but the curious look from Piper told him that neither women knew what he was talking about.

"When I stepped into the shield I started to feel what you were feeling, the curiosity, the amusement, but also the fear of and for yourself." Hunter told her. "I could feel you when I was inside and we're not bonded." Hunter made her realize.

"In some way you are. I don't have any bond's mark and I didn't feel anything. If she wanted she could influence every person with a bond mark." Piper told them sounding envious.

"I didn't know. I don't know. I don't want to ever do that." Darcy admitted sitting down on the floor starting to collect the books the needed to tidy up.

"Darcy, is that why you didn't let them test the sleeping or pain meds on you?" Hunter asked taking the books away from her.

"Well, yeah, what would you have done?" Darcy asked him and he found himself out of answers.

What would he have done, indeed? She didn't know what could happen. Hunter knew what happened when she met Clint, he didn't know about the others but he knew that if taking pain meds and getting distracted from the bonds could mean releasing what he was keeping inside all at once with the potential to hurt the people he loved but more over to keep the Avengers from saving the world he wouldn't test it either. He had seen what her releasing parts of it on purpose could do when he was getting saved from Hydra, it wasn't something they could let happen by mistake.

"1 week." Hunter told Darcy making her look at him. "Give me this week we'll find the answers; we'll make it safe for you to not get consumed by your responsibilities. I know we haven't talk about it Darcy but what would have happened if Ian had kidnapped you instead of us, we were drugged, he would have cracked the shield without knowing it. The Avengers would have been confused and hurt without you to guide them to explain what happened."

It was bad and if the others had been there they would probably be yelling at him right now but if guilt tripping her into protecting the rest of the world by knowing what she was capable off would work he was volunteering to take a little heat.

"You don't get it Hunter. It's not even just about them anymore? It could hurt every person with a bond. I don't want to be responsible for that" She told him closing in on herself.

"You should speak about it with Professor Xavier, it looks like the connection he has with the mutants via the Cerebro." Piper advised.

"I'll stay with you through all of it." Hunter promised.

"Piper?" Darcy looked back at the young woman who had been listen on them. "Pull it back on." She asked her closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh and Piper reproduced her previous actions until the shield and all of what it was hiding was surrounding them all again.

"Do you know what everything else is?" Piper asked her, deciding by herself to make the subsidiaries bonds disappear cleaning the room making the other things stand out.

"The shiny lines are my bonds." Darcy explained tracing one of the line that was getting outside going through the window while most of the others were pointing toward the training room.

"Why are those ones wrapped around each other?" Piper asked pointing at the other extra line.

"I'll tell you after I meet them." Darcy said shrugging.

"What about this?" Hunter said pointing at a dark red cloud which was floating around her reminding him of Buddy and how the little bot was always floating around them making sure nothing was menacing them.

"Don't touch it." Darcy yelled at him making him jump out of the shield. Hunter realized that once out of it he couldn't see it anymore, couldn't hear the two women talking either only watched as Darcy and Piper seemed to be playing with the air.

"What is it?" Hunter asked wondering if he could just take a step and get back into the shield when Darcy grabbed him and tugged until he was back inside.

"Remaining parts of the Aether, happened after I touched it. Though I thought it was just a feeling I was caring around, I didn't know it was clinging to me" Darcy told them poking at the cloud without care. Hunter guessed she had been living with it for months crawling in the thin space between the energy shield and her skin so maybe it was safe for her.

Hunter had more questions but being under the shield he could feel how Darcy was feeling about all of it, or more accurately she was scared of Piper's reaction to all of it and he didn't want to prolong it without talking to her first. And anyway…

"We're about to have company." He said and watched as everything that shouldn't be there disappeared.

Jean got inside telling them it was almost time for lunch when she stopped to take a look at the messy room.

"We need to clean this before anyone else get here." Jean told them and started to use her powers to help them tidy up the place.

"Keep her busy, I need to talk to Piper." Darcy told Hunter not waiting for an answer before she dragged the young student outside to the garden.


	54. The Switch

**The switch.**

He stayed in his car until the man left the house, he didn't want to be seen but more over he didn't want to disturb the life she had created for herself. She kissed her husband goodbye and looked right at him waiting for the car to turn at the corner of the street before she walked to the supposedly subtle car.

He hadn't seen her in a long while, 13 years long. Then he had only meant to check his theory and to relocate her so SHIELD wouldn't be able to find her again, whether he had been right or not. But he had to admit, he had also needed to see her, he had missed her, back then just the same way looking at her now made him missed the simpler time when SHIELD and its mission to protect the people hadn't take the woman he loved away from him.

"Nick." She told him knocking on the window. He came to see her so there was no point into denying his presence, he opened his door to get out.

"Lisa." He answered.

"No one has called me that in a long time." She told him sighing. "How about you come in, I don't need my neighbors to gossip."

"I didn't come to cause problems." He assured her.

"I know Nick, you came for your boxes." She told him.

"They are not mine." Nick offered.

"She doesn't even know they exist, Nick, it's your files not hers. Well I guess it was SHIELD's but SHIELD doesn't exist anymore." Lisa reminded him.

"That's why I am here." He said closing the door behind him.

He had never been in this house before but she didn't change a lot of the interior design from houses to houses, her daughters' pictures were all around the house, going strangely well with the Hippie décor.

"You were not supposed to get attached." Nick told her pointing at one of the pictures of the wall.

"Says the man who came to hide her deeper." Lisa told him smirking.

"Not here to hide her I think that ship has sailed." Nick told her with a sad smile.

"Why did you let them find her?" She asked looking more resolved than sad.

"Lisa, I tried I really did, I made sure they didn't have the time or the resources to find her, then I managed to convince them she was safer without them up until she got kidnapped, than it wasn't in my hands anymore they knew where she was, how to get to her, they made her their person to contact on official SHIELD papers. Plus, I guess we were wrong from the start, keeping Darcy away from them was the wrong move. Have you seen what they are capable of when she is around? She makes them a better team, a stronger team, and better people too" Nick argued.

Because yes he had agreed with the plan that keeping them all apart from each other was the right call, and then it came all crashing down on him the day Phil started to look for Clint because Darcy asked him to.

"I don't care if they are better with her around. Darcy would be better off **without** them." Lisa snapped at him.

"When was the last time you saw her?" He asked her.

"September, after New York she came here and hid in her room for days before one of them came to drag her away." She explained.

"Trust me she is happy where she is." He told her.

"Last time I trusted you I ended up with Darcy." She told him sighing. "Why are you here Nick?"

"I need the files. Hydra was deep into SHIELD and I need to check that they never had anything to do with the program." He assured her.

"I only have parts of it here. I only kept the official papers Stark signed." She said and went to the safe behind a picture of Darcy holding a baby April. "You know when I agreed to this mission, everything had been done to make sure it wouldn't be a lifelong commitment."

"We were only supposed to take Stane down, and use his betrayal to shut the program off, Stark was supposed to get his little girl and you would have been out after a year." Nick explained for the 10th time.

"I know! I still think we should have been more careful." Lisa told him.

She was right, had been since the first time she complained.

"At least she is a Stark if it ever comes to it she will be protected by her name." Nick told her.

It all happened when Fury had been looking for a way for SHIELD to close the program. He had been lucky Lisa came back from a mission as a secretary for Stark Industries talking about Stane trying to bribe the scientists in charge of the program so the baby Howard wanted to find a surrogate for would be Stane and Maria's giving him more control over the company. Lisa gave him the perfect opportunity.

The plan was simple, Lisa would be posing as a willing surrogate, acting like a perfect candidate, ideally she would be chosen she knew that if it all worked out she would be carrying Stark second child. She volunteered for the mission saying it was after all just a mission, and that the less people involved the less people would be able to take advantage of Howard later on by holding his child DNA over his head.

"You think Stane didn't go through with it?" Lisa turned around to question Nick.

"I think someone way worse than Stane managed to ruin both of our plan." Nick told her absentmindedly still thinking of those days when the woman thought it was just a mission and nothing more.

"What?" She snapped at him. He had met Darcy he knew how quickly the woman could warm her way to your heart, being her mother for 24 years gave Lisa the right to snap overprotectively when talking about her.

"Look Stane plan was simple, switch Howard's DNA sample with his wait for the baby to be officially a Stark than kill all of them and claim his right to the company as the father of their second born." Nick summarized and Lisa nodded, she already knew that part, had known about it before he did.

"I just learned that Hydra infiltrated us way before the program was put in place." He continued giving her time to form her own theories. After a few minutes he sighed, she had been out of SHIELD and probably out of sleep for too long to make the connection.

"Darcy's been living in that freaking Tower for months. Stark has a program that runs random DNA test as security measure, if she had any Stark or Stane DNA in her system they would know already." Nick explained.

"You think HYDRA used Stane's plan for their own agenda?" Lisa snapped again. One more time and he would be forced to gag her.

"I think Darcy's DNA is more mysterious than we ever thought." He finished with.

"She is still partly mine you know?" Lisa asked brushing her thumb over the tattoo she had on her wrist.

"I never understood why you hid it." Nick told her shaking his head.

"According to Stark and Pym, the bond mark between a fetus and its surrogate mother could only mean that something went wrong and it wasn't the biological parents child, we needed for them to believe she was Stark's. He had agreed to adopt her whether she was marked or not, and I thought that her parental mark would make them happy." She explained.

"Is she yours?" Nick asked her. Lisa never really explained why she had put a tattoo on her mark before she only showed the original one to Peggy.

"The medical procedure included a DNA test before the second trimester, I guess they only wanted perfect babies, and she wasn't mine, both of our DNA are on the file. I thought whatever the result said she was either a Stark or a Stane but I guess she was whatever Hydra had been planning for." She explained again. "I had plenty of time to read those files you kept sending me." She told him with a smirk when he stayed silent for a while.

"So what did you mean?" He asked her.

"Well that one I got from the Doula I hired for April's birth but I am guessing it makes sense. The mother's mark appears on both bodies around the 4 months because the fetus and the mother are sharing the same blood whether they share the same DNA or not." Lisa said.

"Did she have any theories as to why Darcy doesn't have any marks when you have one?" He retoured.

"She doesn't share a mark with the others either." Lisa snapped at him again.

"The papers Lisa!" He told her. "I need to find every people who had their hands on this medical case, find the one who corrupted her DNA and get to the bottom of this before they all start asking questions." He told her.

"You mean they didn't send you?" She whispered.

"No Elizabeth I don't think Stark will ever be ready to tell her what he did, he would be too scared to loose her. And even if he did, you never told him anything about the program, Howard and Maria are dead, Peggy is… we're the only one to know anything and we'll keep protecting them." Nick promised her, though he didn't know yet how he would manage to protect the most in demand people of the world on his own.

After a moment of thinking Lisa finally gave him a sealed envelope.

"I gave the files to Sharon to hide after we met, I couldn't keep them at home anymore, it was too much of a risk." She told him and looking around the house, between the child toys and her husband's crap he figured she made the right choice, it wasn't just Darcy and her running from SHIELD and child services anymore. "She sent me this, you'll find the instructions to retrieve your boxes, she made sure only the three of us could take it out of the safe house." Lisa explained.

"I have to go to work." She told him after they stared at each other in silence for a while.

"You know she is dating one of them right?" He asked smirking, remembering the kiss he had witnessed between his protégée and his agent.

"I am only playing stupid when she is around, but I can recognize Captain America when he comes into my house to wow my daughter away." She told him and he decided not to comment on that.

"More thinking to do on the plane to…" He looked at the envelop. "Culver." He arched an eyebrow, "Right! Of course." He mumbled leaving Lisa to her new life promising updates on Darcy as soon as he could.

"Lisa!" He stopped her as she was about to close the door on him. "You should take down her picture and get your gun out of the safe. I have no way of knowing if they ever be able to find you." He informed her kissing her cheek and he stepped out into the garden.

It was his way of protecting her, his way of saying goodbye too and she knew him well enough to be aware of that.

"Take care Nick." She said closing the door.

Hopefully it would never have to come to her disappearing again. Darcy would never forgive any of them if that happened.


	55. Collision

**Collision.**

"Piper?" Charles asked surprised to see one of his student in the training room.

"Sorry, I asked her to stay with me." Darcy told him dragging Piper next to her. "I have a mission for her. It's okay, right?"

"She is supposed to be in class." Charles argued, clearly not happy about his student presence in the room.

"She assured me she would be able to get notes from her friends." Darcy insisted. She needed Piper and this little exercise would probably be the only chance they would get. "Look I need something from her. You all told me I needed to find out more about the bonds and she is helping." She told them.

Charles left without a word to join Clint who was sending her flying kisses from the monitoring station on higher ground. Darcy giggled and looked around her to the rest of the group who were either holding their laughter or looking at her like she was crazy.

"What? You're training to fight while protecting a civilian, two persons is not that bit of a stretch." Darcy told them. "And you're forgetting that if I get bored I am going to put myself in danger on purpose." She said smirking.

"Charles you can put in on." Tony told him before stepping into the waiting Iron Man suit.

That afternoon they were training into what looked like to be Paris' streets, Darcy and Piper were supposed to be saved than protected by the combine teams against the bots of the training room. Honestly Darcy only had to sit her ass down and wait for it to play out, they were only supposed to make sure they were able to work as one if necessary and for Darcy to get out of there without a scratch. She would have been bored without Piper even though it wasn't why she needed her there.

"Look there is a park there." Piper told her nodding to a small space of fake grass a few feet away.

"Good luck, saving us." Darcy told them all though she took the time to give a kiss to Steve before he put his scowl on.

"Yeah it looks like a good place." Piper told her while sitting down on the floor. "Okay maybe we should have thought about taking a cover for us to sit on or something because the floor is cold." Piper said laughing but nothing escaped their protectors Pyro coming to heat up a floor a little.

"You've never been kidnapped, have you? Comfort is not usually their priority." Darcy asked laughing but still nodding her thanks to Pyro before sitting down.

"You want to start right away?" Piper asked and waited for Darcy to look around.

"The program started they don't see us anymore so there will never be a better time." Darcy nodded. "Just remember whatever you do, don't touch the shield, I don't want them to see it."

"Do your thing I'll do mine." Piper told her happily.

Darcy managed to visualize a bigger shield making it so it would surround them instead of being around her. Piper nodded when it was in place.

"It's okay you can talk." Darcy told her. "According to Hunter it's soundproof." Darcy assured her.

"I spend all lunch trying to figure out what you want out of me but I still have no idea." Piper told her.

"You see them right?" Darcy asked and Piper nodded. "All of them coming out of me?" once again Piper nodded. "Do you think you could find one in particular?"

"I assume you're not talking about one of the colored ones." Piper asked making Darcy blush.

She was too easy to read for her and it was making her twitchy.

"I don't know what it will look like." Darcy informed her.

"Can I have more to start with?" Piper asked looking around them.

"He used to be one of the colored one, he died briefly and I can't reach him anymore. I want to know if he is still here." Darcy told her, her voice sounding small even to herself. "I miss him." She said without really meaning too.

She had never talked about it with anyone, not even Phil, but it was the truth she missed the security, the assurance, the confidence, the calm, Phil had shared with her for 5 years. He had helped her grow up even when he was trying to push her away, he had been there whenever one of Tasha's injuries would give her nightmares to calm her down, he was the only adult in her life who wasn't ignoring her at the time and now that she was happy and safe, she wanted to be able to share it with him again. She could send him e-mails, but it wasn't the same.

"We could try, but it's going to take a long time did you see how many lines there was this morning? And it was only the ones inside the school." Piper told her.

"It's why I wanted to do this here." Seeing the dubious look Piper was sending her Darcy laughed for a long while before calming down. "Look around you Piper." She told her gesturing to the teams in training. "Those beautiful little lines…" She said pointing the colored ones. "come from the Avengers. I trust that either I don't have one or you'll find Steve's easily enough following it from him." She kept going. "Logan, Charles, and Erik were born before the bonds appeared." She explained. "Remy and Hank don't have one. That leaves Pyro, Bobby, Rogue, Kitty, Hunter and Piotr, since they are in the room finding theirs should be easier."

"Hum…" Piper hummed looking around them. "Here." She said opening Darcy's hand. "You're holding them." Darcy nodded at her looking at the one line she had in her hand raising her eyebrow at Piper.

"He is cute." The young girl told her blushing furiously while nodding toward Hunter.

"You're 18, right?" Darcy asked her and Piper nodded. There was little to no chance for Hunter to fall for her, the man was way too hang up on Bobby still to even look at a woman and think about dating her, let alone risk the X-Men's wrath if he managed to screw up everything. She cared to much about Hunter to even tempt him by pushing Piper to pursue it but she was free to try if she really wanted to.

"I already have someone." Piper told her. "I am just looking." She said getting her eyes away from Hunter's ass, who went flying in between Piotr and Hulk. Without meaning to Darcy closed her hands tightly around his thread, thinking that she wanted to protect him and releasing it when Tony appeared to catch him putting him gently on the floor with a pat on the head that made Hunter yell at him.

"Darcy! Don't do that." Piper told her and she watched down at her hand letting Hunter's line fall down on her lap.

"What did I do?" Darcy asked her.

"The same thing you did this morning, influenced the bonds." Piper told her showing one of the colored branch shinning brighter.

"Don't be ridiculous I can't do that." Darcy told her turning back to the question at hand, or at lap. "One done six billiards to go." Darcy said pointing at the mess around them.

That's what she meant to do anyway, watching for a few minutes both parts of her equation, on one side Piper who was following the threads with her eyes until she could confirm it belonged to someone in the room or multiple someone as it seemed that Bobby and Kitty didn't have a line each but only one cut in half to get to each of them. On the other side Darcy kept glancing between the lines on her lap and the super people battling and floating around her. She wanted to do it again, to see if Piper had been right. She had to sit on her hands to keep from touching any of the lines.

"I know you want to find your friend but one stone and all that." Piper came behind her to whisper. "You're seeing them right now, you won't be able to without me."

Darcy knew it was only part of the truth. She had thought about it when they were having lunch, the lines looked too much like the one she had imagine braiding together when she tried to help the Avengers find Clint to be a coincidence. She must be able to see them too. She just never realized it and she wasn't ready to admit it yet either.

"Did you ever saw Charles use the Cerebro?" Darcy asked her, because from what she gathered it was the closest to what she was tempted to do.

"Once, when we all got kidnapped." Piper told her. "He had enough powers to find every one of us at the same time."

"If I remember what I read about that, he almost killed you while doing it." Darcy argued.

"He was manipulated; he wouldn't hurt a fly." She said brushing her hand in the air as if it would brush the subject away.

"I don't feel like doing it without telling them." Darcy told her going back to what she realized was her petting the lines around her, the colored one having found themselves on her other side.

"Telling them is only going to lead to questions instead of answers." Piper told her.

Darcy was feeling uncomfortable talking about it with Piper, she realized that even without her permission the girl would still be able to see what Darcy was doing and that she needed her powers to find Phil because she might have been able to see the lines to the Avengers, but she hadn't lied earlier in the library she didn't know anything about the other lines, she even agreed that she remembered being young and curious, but Piper reminded her of the desert and that wasn't good.

Darcy closed her eyes, tried to make sure Piper would stay in the shield, she could endure a little panic attack if it allowed her to find Phil again.

An explosion behind them distracted her and she released her control shutting off the shield and looking confused at Piper who was standing so close to her that she was almost on her lap. Darcy pushed her away and stood up quickly.

"What did you do?" She asked her.

"What you couldn't. You don't see half of what I do Darcy, you're capable of so much more." Piper told her.

"Piper! What did you do?" Darcy yelled at her.

"Found the last thread and pushed them on to you." Piper said as if she was explaining how she made the chocolate cake sitting on the counter.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Darcy yelled louder ready to fight her if Piper took only one step toward her when she felt strong arms encircling her.

"It's a training room Darcy, it's made to test new powers and see what they could do, it's secured." Piper told her calmly before falling asleep her body put down on the floor by an ungloved Rogue.

"Darce, you need to calm down." Steve whispered in her ears. "I need you to calm down, baby." He kept saying but all she could hear was her own heart pounding in her head. She tried to shake it away but couldn't manage too.

"Can't breathe." She finally managed to tell him when she calmed down.

Steve didn't release her and he had been right it had nothing to do with him holding on to her too strong. The tears she was holding up finally rolled down her cheeks and she was able to watch around them. Only Steve, Logan and Rogue were up, even Hulk seemed to be groggy and white-ish, she didn't know what happened but seeing it was even scarier than what she had been angry about.

On one corner of the room Logan was trying to get Tony out of the suit with no effect.

"Steve, Tony." Was all she was able to say and she was grateful for the fact that he hadn't need more than that to scoop her up and take her to him.

"JARVIS open." She said knowing she should have been given him codes and passwords but she would need more oxygen to do that. Hopefully JARVIS had been happy enough with only the voice recognition.

"Tony! Breathe!" She told him as soon as the faceplate turned up.

They watched as Tony took a deep breath of fresh air before opening his eyes, Charles coming up next to them with two oxygen tanks. Darcy refused hers, Tony was feeling better with the pure oxygen and so was she. At least, breathing wise, her head hurt. A quick look around showed her that Rogue was now kneeling next to Tasha who had a bleeding cut on her forehead. Tasha nodded and Rogue moved on to Bobby and Pyro who seemed to need water but were otherwise okay.

"Did someone see Piotr and Kitty?" She asked looking all around.

"Hunter, behind Hulk." Darcy told her and for once no one looked at her funny they just went to look at their team mates. Tasha first with the help of Logan just to make sure that Hulk would be friendly. Which happened not to be necessary as Hulk just moved out of their way as soon as they were close enough to make sure the people he was protecting were going to be fine then he stumbled away and turned back into Bruce.

"Darcy…" He whispered before fainting.

Darcy started to panic again, she was responsible for that, she wasn't sure of what happened but she took down both teams and Bruce was in bad shape which should never be able to happen especially not if the one she hurt was Hulk not him.

Steve lifted her up in his arms to put her down next to Clint, at least he hadn't been in the room she would never be able to forgive herself if she hurt him even more.

"Darce, look at me!" She looked up at him and grinned, he was beautiful, he looked like an angel with his blue halo surrounding him and his gray eyes they were so bright. "Here" he said and opened his arms to take her in and she didn't even hesitate before she went in, nuzzling on his neck, while he brushed her hair.

"Hurt." She said pointing at her head.

"I know baby. It's going to be okay. Just close your eyes and relax." He told her and she followed the instructions closing her eyes and inhaling his wooded scent deeply.

"S'eve." She mumbled squeezing herself closer to Clint.

"He is here. He is right here and everything will be fine you just need to focus on me." Clint told her and she nodded against his shoulder.

It took a while. Even her drowsy self could say it took her a long time to be conscious again.

"Get her to her room we'll deal with her later." She heard and then the clapping of steps getting closer to her and she tensed thinking they were talking about her, but Clint hugged her tighter and Darcy listened as the steps went further away a loud door closing.

She did everything she could to stay extremely still even though Clint knew now that she was awake but she didn't want to make herself known right away and apparently he got it because he didn't out her.

"Bruce are you feeling better?" Tony asked and although she didn't hear the answer she imagine he must have nodded since no one else asked him questions. Tony's voice sounded normal so that was a good thing too.

"What happened in here?" Logan, with his deep voice, asked.

"Piper." She said because she didn't really want to hear them fight over something the both of them did. "And me." She added straightening up against Clint realizing when she saw him that she had been putting pressure on his ribs for a while. Before she could say how sorry she was for it though he kissed her thoroughly making sure she would forget about it, for now.

"I don't understand." Tasha said.

"She can see the bonds linking people to me or to one another…" she started and didn't give them time to ask question before going on. "I asked her to see if she could help me find Phil and…" She stopped not really knowing how to explain what happened especially since she wasn't sure of it herself.

"Come on what happened Darce." Clint probed.

"Hunter was in danger and I had his line in my hand and…" She looked up from Tony to Hunter without saying a word. "Tony saved him."

"Hey I remember that, I thought JARVIS did that." Tony told them.

"Could have been him, but Piper was sure it was me and she wanted me to do it again and when I said 'No' she did something and BOOM." She said gesturing an explosion. "She said she pushed all the bonds together." She said looking at the floor wishing it could swallow her. "It's my fault I should be more careful."

"Darce, no." Steve told her from her other side. "You told her 'no' you said you didn't want to try it and she did it anyway it's not your fault." He said getting her on his lap to hug her.

"But you all got hurt. And Tony almost died." Darcy argued.

"JARVIS." Tony said holding up the helmet so everyone would hear.

 _It looks like the oxygen level inside the suit decrease too quickly to be countered._ JARVIS informed them.

"What caused the explosion?" Clint asked.

"I did." Pyro told them. "I felt like I was burning up and I was too close to Stark and then everything went boom around us."

"The fire drained the oxygen out of the suit creating the explosion." Tony explained.

Darcy looked up at the people around her, that made no sense to her, Tony fought into fire or next to Johnny a lot of times and still nothing like that ever happened. She'll need to ask about it later. It couldn't happen again.

"Tasha?" Darcy asked.

"I was overwhelmed and I managed to bang my head against Hulk." She explained.

"I had to take over Hulk because he was feeling too heavy to stand up." Bruce offered without being prompted.

"I just fell from the force of the explosion." Bobby admitted.

"Still don't get what happened." Clint blurted out.

"Hunter!" She pleaded looking at him and nodding.

"This morning Piper found out that Darcy was linked to everyone with a bond not just you guys, you're just special." He said and tutted Tony when he was about to comment. "Darcy is also surrounded by a protective shield that runs all around her." He kept going and Darcy felt more hands on her as Clint scooted closer to Steve and herself. "So I went into the shield to keep an eye on them and I could feel everything Darcy was feeling the same way it works with the bonds."

"And getting us together is the same thing as what you did to send us to London?" Bruce probed and Darcy simply nodded.

Logan was eyeing Steve and she was feeling him hiding in her neck and Clint getting protective next to them, but Logan just smirked and shook his head not saying a word.

"Do it again." Bobby said.

"Are you crazy?" Darcy asked restraining herself from yelling because her ears were still ringing.

"No, he is right do it again." Tasha told her with a smile.

"What happened to small steps?" Darcy asked her, because Tasha had promised not to push too far, too quick.

"I never said whose steps it should be." Tasha told her shrugging. "I am choosing Hulk steps."

"Are you sure?" She asked and looked up to find everyone nodding enthusiastically.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She asked again and watched them nod again.

"You know how much I like explosions." Tony told her grinning.

"I don't …" Darcy started, looking at the door. "I don't want Piper anywhere near you." She told them, she meant her team since she couldn't do anything about Charles's people but they were all involved so it was all the same.

"You can do it Darce." Tasha told her kneeling in front of her. "You already did once before and you didn't have Piper."

"I had Mew-Mew" Darcy argued.

"You don't need them Darce, it's your bonds, your feelings, your powers. Mjolnir, Piper, they just helped you see that it was possible." Tasha told her and Darcy grinned at her.

"You're getting better at pep talk." She told her giggling.

"I don't want you here." She said looking at Clint and kissing him before he could argue. "Don't want you to get more hurt."

"Fine" he mumbled.

"And you're taking the senior team with you." She said looking at Charles and Erik who didn't seem to appreciate her sense of humor.

"You are aware that Logan and Steve are older than us right?" Erik said tilting his head toward them.

"Need them." Darcy said without thinking.

"To do what?" Charles asked her.

"Hum… I'll think about that." She tried.

"Maybe I should join them." Steve whispered in her ear. "Don't even know what happened."

"Stay, I'll show you." Darcy told him patting the floor next to her for Logan. "You're okay staying here? I need someone to keep an eye on me, and possibly make sure Piper or any intruder doesn't get in." Darcy told him.

"I am here." Logan simply said settling in.

"Make yourself busy, there is something I need to do first." She told them shewing them away. "Charles is there any chance you'd show me how you proceed with the Cerebro?"

Logan was pushing on his hand to stand up so Darcy grabbed his wrist. "You'll keep an eye on them for me, right?" She said pleading and feeling Steve nodding behind her. After a few second Logan sat back down.


	56. People of the world

**People of the World.**

Charles had agreed immediately. It was in all their interest to find out what made Darcy tick and between the stunt Piper just pulled on her and the subsequent explosion, he figured showing her what his powers and Hank technology could do was the least he could do.

It took a certain amount of time to make sure that the young woman was feeling well enough to walk on her own two feet, though he guessed from her constant sighing that the Avengers were as his students tended to call him, 'mother hens'.

"Would you trust me enough to come with just Hank and me in there?" Charles asked Darcy after he had opened the door showing everyone that once inside they would be secured, while Hank was showing the Avengers a side screen where they would be able to see what was happening inside.

"No!" Natasha answered for her but she wasn't the only one as Hunter who felt responsible for choosing to introduce her to Piper put himself between Darcy and the room.

"Well I was asking Miss Lewis so how about we let her answer?" Charles asked once again.

He couldn't get into Darcy's head to know what she was thinking. It was making him nervous. He had seen what was about to happen from the surveillance room but he had no way to stop it, the shield Hunter had described seemed to be able to keep Darcy thoughts inside as well as keeping him from getting in her head.

He had only experienced that meeting other telepaths, and it was the reason why he had asked if Darcy was always able to read them as well as she had in his office, but also why he had asked the students who would spend time with her to let her go through her own thought process instead of giving her answers even if she was asking questions they knew the answers too. He wanted to know if it was specific to the Avengers or not.

"I am guessing you owe money to Clint." Darcy said turning around to face Remy who had just come back from getting Piper to her room.

"I don't know what would make you think that, Très Chère." He told her, his usual carefree persona carefully plastered on his face.

"Great! You're coming with us." She said taking his wrist and dragging him toward the Cerebro. "That's okay right?" She asked him not waiting for an answer before she got in.

Charles had no idea why she chose Remy or how she figured it would be okay, or even why she hadn't push to get one of the Avengers with her. He needed to understand more than ever and seeing the look on Erik's face as he looked up to him he wasn't the only one to be intrigued by their young guest.

Charles waited for Hank watching as Darcy was turning around herself taking the all room in, ignoring Remy's side look. Without a word to the others he nodded to Hank and they went in, the door closing behind them.

"Okay." He said placing himself on his spot by the Cerebro computer. "Hank." He said gesturing toward the young woman.

"So Charles is a telepath, he can read people's mind, on a daily basis when he is close to them and one by one, but he's been known to do it from a distance and to a group at time." Hank started. "The Cerebro is an amplifier, it allows Charles to get in touch with basically anyone with a functioning brain." It's been more than 60 years since he first heard Hank trying to explain his program but no matter how many times he had to do it he still sounded both unsure and amazed at his own genius idea.

Charles put the helmet on and turned to look at them.

"Darcy comes closer." He said and waited for her to execute herself. "Hank, Remy don't move." He said before concentrating on finding every mutant on Earth. He couldn't resist looking up at Darcy to see her eyes grow wider.

"The red dots are all mutants." He told her. "I want to show you how I can find a specific one. Do you want to choose one?" He asked and she nodded her head enthusiastically before nibbling at her lower lips. He couldn't stay focused on the mutants for too long not after what had happened the last time so he switched from continent to continent instead of the world while he waited for her.

"I don't know any that are not inside the school and that sounds a little too easy." She told him before correcting herself. "Well apart from Mystic, Ororo, Warren and Scott, but you already know where they are."

"How about someone trickier?" He asked her smirking, because she was right finding someone he already knew the whereabouts of would not prove anything.

"Do you have someone in mind?" She asked.

"Remy?" Charles asked when he could feel the man fidgeting behind him.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You know he doesn't like when you do that. I hate going on cleaning trips after it." Remy complained and he was right the man was a pain in their collective asses and Logan would always find a way to get him on the clean-up crew someway.

"Well we'll send him the Avengers, they'll deal with it." He said as a joke and relaxed when Darcy stop being so tense.

"Who is he?" Darcy asked.

"Deadpool." Remy sighed behind them.

"Owes money to Clint too." She said giggling.

"Well let see if we can help settle the debt between them." Charles said taking a deep breath.

No matter how many times he tried to find the man it was always a long chase around the world. His mind was totally focused on the map and on the task at hand but he could hear Hank's voice around him knowing that the doctor was explaining the process to Darcy. He looked in UK first since it was where they had left Wade the last time they saw him. But evidently the man wasn't there anymore. Charles's mind zoomed out to get them to Europe but still no sign of Wade.

It was time to get real, the Avengers were getting nervous that wasn't good for anyone. Wade was probably back to the States, anyway. Charles could be looking directly into Vanessa's place or Sister Margaret 's bar but then again it would be too easy so he took a longer route, to show Darcy how it worked. He looked into the American North continent. Followed quickly by the USA, then resumed it to the North East but contrary to what he had thought Wade wasn't in Chicago, but just outside of town.

Charles cut off the map and turned around quickly, looking up at the camera.

"We're about to have a visitor." He told the people outside. "Keep him busy while we are here, Remy will take your place when we get out." Charles was about to turn back to the machine when he thought better about it. "Don't get him drunk and don't tell him about the Avengers."

"I am not going anywhere." He heard back in his head, Logan could be stubborn when he wanted.

"Erik?" Charles asked aloud waiting for his old friends help.

"On my way. But just to be clear I am allowed to play with him right?" Erik asked into the microphone, he liked to scare people as much as he liked pranking them.

"Plan to invade the school for all I care just keep him out for the afternoon." Charles told him. "And don't let him hurt you." He added with his mind. Their relationship wasn't a secret but leaving with children around them 24/7 they had learned to be more discreet than the couple they were hosting.

"Thought this was a safe place?" Darcy asked but her grin showed that she wasn't scared.

"Wade is special." Charles told her getting back in place in front of the Cerebro.

"Well you convinced me. You found him." Darcy said looking around them though the panel were now all off. "Doesn't mean I'll be able to find mine." She told him.

"There is someone I want to find." Darcy said resolute but looking like she was talking to herself instead of them.

"I can find them if you want." He said without really thinking about it. "It works on humans too."

"It's not like that I know where he is, I just lost my connection to him I want to know if it's still there." Darcy explained.

"Is it the person you wanted Piper to find?" Charles asked and Darcy nodded. "For what it's worth I am sorry about what she did." He told her but she shrugged it off and moved on as if it had no importance for her.

He was starting to get why it was so hard for her to open herself up to any of them. She was just brushing off any bad thing that ever happened as part of life and wouldn't talk about it or yell at people about it, even when she had every reasons too. As much as he thought Erik tendencies to hold indefinite grudges wasn't healthy, this behavior wasn't better.

"You try it a few times without the Cerebro while Hank and I think about adjustments we can make and maybe you'll be able to use it before the end of the week." Charles told her curious to see what the girl could make with the connection it allowed.

They all went out of the room when Darcy said that she had seen enough. Charles wasn't able to read her mind but he could read her body, her dilated eyes, her twitching hands, the nibbling of her lower lip. She was still curious but whether it was him remind her of Piper or the immensity of what she would be able to do if she could control the Cerebro she needed to get out of the sealed room.

She was the first out, walking right to Clint and Steve and relaxing as soon as they touched her. It didn't give him a better idea of what freaked her out but maybe she would explain it to him, if he could find the way to talk to her alone.


	57. A part of her soul

**A part of her soul.**

Steve didn't know what happened in the room, he had kept Clint busy while the room was sealed with no way in for them if anything went wrong inside. For all Clint's trust in the people of this house, people he already knew, being kept away from Darcy in that way seemed to be harder on his boyfriend then when she left for London all those months ago. So they kept their distance from the video feed, only looking up when Erick left, talking about what they could do to be sure Darcy would be able to rest that night.

When the door opened Steve helped Clint up and Darcy, he would have said run but she was only walking faster than usual really, right into their arms.

"Hey, Baby." Steve told her running his hand on her back brushing her hair with his thumb. "Did something happen?"

Darcy shook her head but kept herself carefully tucked out from the world. Clint kissed the top of her head, leaning into them so she would be squeezed in between them, safe and protected and they both listened as she sighed happily.

"Seriously, how did you missed it?" Steve heard Hunter asked followed by "Ouch" coming from the same person. It, at least, had the benefice of making Darcy giggle and when Steve looked up he could see Hunter glaring at Tasha.

"Do you still want to go through with it?" Steve asked her, because he knew how she was, she would push herself until she was ready to break, not that he minded carrying her to bed because she was too out of it to walk but for someone so strict with her charges' schedule she sure seemed to go above and beyond what her body was capable of enduring when it came to herself.

She looked back at Charles briefly then at Clint before turning to him.

"Yeah, I think it's the right thing to do." She told him kissing his cheek. "But you don't have to stay." Darcy told him looking him in the eyes and not letting go until she was certain that he would give an answer.

Behind her Clint was looking at them curiously trying to know what was going own. Steve shook his head and kissed him over Darcy's head, he would explain later, once they would be alone in their room but not there in the middle of people he wasn't sure he trusted with Darcy yet, and for him anything he would be able to hide from them was a good thing. He would talk to the team; he couldn't berate them for keeping secrets from one another if he did it too but no one outside their little family would know.

"We should all get back into the training room then." He told the assemble of superheroes around them. Watching as Tasha ushered them all in leaving Steve, Darcy and Clint alone outside.

"You're going to tell me what's going on right?" She asked before entering the room herself.

"Yes Tasha" Steve and Darcy told her at the same time in the same tone of voice chastised children would use to agree to a punishment.

"Can I have a preview?" Clint asked when they heard the door close behind them.

Darcy looked around them, or at least as well as she could, hidden between Clint and Steve, before turning around to face Clint while staying between them. Clint stole a kiss from her before she could start explaining anything though. Not that Steve could blame him. He had been honest the previous night it had been a long time since their last private moment together, 2 days since London and their little sleepover, 5 days of him at the hospital, 2 weeks in Washington before that. And even then they only had a couple of days together and Clint and Steve had spent half of that on a briefing. Not that he was counting hours or anything but he missed the intimacy and the little bubble they shared whenever they found time to be close.

"I love you both." He told them sighing and got twin smiles as an answer followed by kisses from the both of them.

"When you're done fondue-ing, people are waiting in here." They heard and Steve looked up to find a smirking Tony.

"Five more minutes." Darcy complained sticking her tongue at him.

"Kids are spoiled these days." He said closing the door once again.

"You never answered me." Clint reminded them.

"Steve is a very special boy too." Darcy told him kissing his cheek. "I'll show you later." She whispered in his ear. Steve wasn't sure if she had forgotten about his super hearing or if she had meant to keep it from other people in the room.

"Come on boys, if you share me now, we'll have more time alone tonight." She told them trying to get out of their hug.

"It's not fair. Steve gets to stay with you." Clint whined.

"You met me two months before him so you're still winning." She said tapping gently on his shoulder making Clint close his mouth exuberantly.

Steve opened the door for them and Remy and Charles left with Clint taking the direction of the surveillance room. Steve slid against the wall and grabbed Darcy so she would sit on his lap. Logan resumed his guarding place next to them without being asked.

"Bruce?" Darcy looked up to him.

"We're good I am good" he said turning green until Hulk crouched down in front of Darcy taking her hands then her feet gently in his hands moving them, making her laugh and finally he grunted.

"Little Darcy fine. Hulk play." He said sitting down next to Piotr.

"Maybe not look at me. It makes me nervous when people do that." Darcy said and the program they had been fighting before appeared once again around them keeping them busy, even though it looked like the villain robots had been put on a sleeping drug.

Steve stood straighter against the wall making sure that he was comfortable so he wouldn't have to move Darcy sitting on his lap and risk getting her out of her head. He tucked her hair away kissing her collarbone lightly, slowly getting up to her ear.

"Close your eyes. Take a deep breath…" He told her brushing his hand against her ribs. "Hold it." He kept going. "Now let it go." He repeated the process again and again until her breathing was synchronized with his.

He brushed his nose against her lobe whispering, "Find Clint. Remind him how much we love him." He was whispering for the benefice of what he was doing because the others were too far to hear them and Logan would hear them even from the far end of the room anyway.

When he felt her heart speed up, Steve looked up and saw Clint winking at him from the surveillance room.

"We should let him up there where it's safe." He told Darcy and waited until he could feel her heart rate slow down under his fingers. "A little harder." He told her and she nodded. "How about Tony? Can you find him?"

It took a little longer, some nose scrunching from Darcy and raised eyebrow from Logan but Steve knew what he was doing. Not that he ever tried to do that in public or with anyone around that wasn't Clint but he had done it with them in the secrecy of their floor, he knew it would work with Clint at least and maybe making her more confident about herself if she was reminded that playing with the bonds didn't always end up in pain and explosions.

"Nice Capsicle" Tony groaned at him "But maybe keep it PG." He added making Logan laugh.

"Don't listen to him Baby, just relax back and find…" He looked up and Logan mouthed a name that made sense. "Could you find Hunter for us?" He asked and told her to follow Tony's instructions while trying as well as he could to keep his hand on her hair, her arms, ribs and kissing her forehead, her temple everything he could to keep her Zen without making her or himself horny.

"Found him" she said sighing after a couple of minutes.

Steve looked up and Hunter was looking back at them with round eyes he wondered for a few seconds if maybe what she was sending them was still too intense but then he remembered that Clint, Tony, Hulk or Tasha had special connections to her. Bruce and Betty had explained to him how soft and reassuring feeling another person could be but he had asked after a while blushing deeper and deeper as he was explaining to Bruce what he was wondering about and Bruce had been able to tell him that no, he and Betty were not able to share in the same way Clint and Darcy were.

Steve brushed his nose against her ear gently. "Find me." He whispered not able to keep himself from doing it.

He knew it was stupid and childish. He understood that she didn't love him less because he wasn't one of them. It took a while but he didn't question it anymore. Neither was he questioning Clint's feelings.

That didn't mean he wasn't fully aware of what happened earlier.

Two different things happened really.

The first one he guessed was what had created the chaos that led to the explosion. A surge of feelings that invaded every little thoughts he had, mostly confusion and fear but also lots and lots of little things people would usually keep for themselves. He wasn't sure Tasha meant for her attraction to Logan to be known by everyone in the room. Or for Pyro to tell them how alone he felt.

After the fact, once Darcy had been calmed down, it appeared clearly that everyone had decided not to talk about any of this acting like it didn't happen, like they hadn't learned things they either didn't want to know or didn't want to share about each other.

But Steve's experience didn't stop there. Something different happened when he grabbed Darcy, needing for her to lean on him to let him take over her rage over Piper's action. Something he never thought he would ever get to experience.

Darcy had been too angry to immediately take down her shield, and Piper too proud of what she did to care about Darcy's privacy touching it to show to everyone what was going on. Steve hadn't even hesitated, didn't really think about it either, he needed to protect Darcy and it was the only thing he had thought about voluntarily forgetting about the rest of it.

Darcy in his arms though, he couldn't help but being overwhelmed by her, by what she was feeling about herself. The woman he loved was terrified, angry, and she was feeling things so quickly that he didn't even have time to decipher half of it, his mind going from one place to another. She was shivering but that wasn't what touched him the most. It took him a couple of seconds but he finally understood that inside the hubbub in her brain she was looking for something, even through her own fears, the woman was searching for the Avengers, not by looking around her or by asking, she was searching inside herself, and without knowing it she was sharing everything with Steve.

Speaking to her, calmed her down immediately, even though her mind was still a mess she was grounding herself on his voice, trusting him to keep her safe, to make her feel loved and cherished while she was making sure the people she was protecting were free from danger, uninjured. He didn't even know what he told her then and he had the feeling that it didn't matter she relied on him to not lost herself in her thoughts.

She found Clint first, sinking a little deeper into that secured space inside herself borrowing their strength to keep going, to keep breathing, forcing the air into her lunges. Tasha was next, confused and less open than Clint but still there, followed quickly by Hulk who seemed to only have one thought in mind PROTECT.

The more Darcy relaxed, the closer to him the shield was, grazing his skin, he could feel the warmth of it surrounding them. Once he got her heart rate to slow down, she started to have trouble breathing, for a second he considered that maybe he was holding on to her too strong but only thinking about letting her go had Darcy shivering again. He brought her to Tony when she asked, wondering if he will ever be able to think that one of them was hurt whenever Darcy was in danger.

Her mind was a mess after that, being inside the shield, sharing her feelings was like what he remembered being drunk had been. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Up until the very second she saw Bruce. Their friend looked sick, not that Steve even thought it was possible, since Bruce had the serum in his veins. Darcy started to panic again feeling guilty.

Clint came in to the room and Steve finally understood why Darcy always needed to be in his arms when something was happening with the bonds. He didn't think their boyfriend really knew the effect he had on the woman they loved. Steve scooped her up and sat with her next to Clint. It was funny to feel in her drunken haze how Darcy related to Clint, she was confused and sleepy but she still knew he was there, they were two parts of a magnet constantly looking for one another. She didn't even have to think about it before she wrapped him inside the shield with them, her mind was still a mess but being next to Clint seemed to cleanse her of any worried thoughts about the others, her entire mind progressively humming happily, washing away the others and their chaotic thoughts, as if Clint presence alone could be soothing her.

Steve could have felt jealous, angry, envious, but the only thing he was able to feel was how proud of her he was, how amazing they both were, how much he loved them, and how much they must believe in him to include him in what they shared as if he was a part of them and not as an afterthought they forcefully patched on their love, but as a full part of their hearts.

In an instant he felt like the Earth had stopped its course, Steve heart stopping in his chest as Darcy stopped breathing for a second asking for him, but her worry disappeared turned into a relaxed mellow feeling then succumbing to sleep as soon as Clint told her he was still there.

It took a long time for Darcy to take the protective shield away from them and Steve had plenty of time to explore and reflect on what the last couple of minutes had showed him.

According to the stories Thor had spent countless of hours regaling them with; Clint was Darcy's protector, in fact they were all supposed to be in a different way. He didn't know how the others were fulfilling their destiny yet but Clint was her anchor to her own feelings, he was protecting her heart, her soul, from being crushed, of that he was certain. And he was doing a damn good job at it.

He also had plenty of time to realize that she wasn't the only one needing to feel them all safe and protected, and that her abilities had made him realize that he was exactly where he was supposed to be, not protecting Darcy, not guarding the gems like she was destined to, but looking after them, each one of them as if they were his.

"You're thinking too much." Darcy told Steve getting him back to the moment.

"Darcy." He groaned.

"I am sorry for the flashback, I wanted to know how you felt about what happened." Darcy told him and he hold her closer to him.

"You are amazing." He told her, kissing her.

"Fun time later." She told him giggling.

"You should try your trick on someone you never spend time with." Logan said pulling them back from their little world. Steve suddenly reminded of their goal.

"Which one do you want to try first?" He asked her, but Darcy shook her head. "You don't want to do it anymore?" He asked.

"Already done" She told him smirking and pointing her finger at the team members before them who were still fighting the robots of the training room in perfect harmony, joking with each other like kids having fun, they looked as happy as Darcy was.

"When Charles turned the Cerebro on he was connected to everyone and he had to concentrate to find a specific person, he is sending his thought toward the person he wants to find. I was doing it wrong. I realized that I work the same way, being connected to all of them at once because of Piper had been easy and immediate, finding them one by one is hard and takes time." She explained. "With all of the side effects coming from them, I always tried to do it by trying to find something coming from them toward me when I should have been going the other way around." Darcy told them grinning. "Like I do with Clint when we are having adult time." She said raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"I was Happy I let it flow out of my mind onto them and Ta Da!" She told them pointing out their friends. "Turns out being relax and Happy is more efficient than worrying about what will happen…" She said. "Who knew?" She joked shrugging.

"You showed them everything?" He asked a little scared.

"No idiot. I just shared my happiness." She explained rolling her eyes. "Except maybe for Tasha, Hulk and Tony, they keep looking at us, I think they got more than that." She said shrugging.

"What now?" He asked as Logan left them to go kick some robot's butt with the others.

"I was thinking about taking advantage of the perfectly good bed we have upstairs." Darcy said wiggling her eyebrows. "Clint is already waiting for us." She told him and watching upstairs at the window Steve could see that their man wasn't there anymore.


	58. Subterfuge

_**Sex is happening in this chapter but for people who don't want to read it you can just skip to next chapter you won't miss anything it's all explained and said once again in the next one.**_ __

 **Subterfuge.**

Darcy loved those little moments they could share in the middle of chaos. They were rare and precious, but more than ever they could be private. Hunter had told her the Shield was sound proof, she could hide the three of them under it forever, keeping them from the rest of the world.

She wanted to use this moment of bliss to do something she probably shouldn't but she had to at least try once. Understanding how she could make the bonds work better by letting them come from her instead of feeling attacked by them. She was letting them control her life, when they were meant to make it easier, to help her, while she had only been helping her friends up until now. The event of the day had cleared her mind on the possibilities the Stones could provide.

She knew exactly what to do first with them.

The bonds were fine and fun, or at least it was what they had been that day but they were imaginary, all they really knew about it came from fairy tales Thor kept feeding them on team night, or telling her when Jane was on a 'let's test Darcy' mood.

That's not entirely true, she knew they were real, she knew that more than anyone. She had long discovered that a small part of both stones they had already encounter were still attached to her. Thanks to Piper she now knew they were real and not just feelings or voices in her head.

Sure Jane and JARVIS had already told her the readings proved it but seeing it had been different, frightening. She wasn't ready for all the things she'd have to deal with if she accepted them, if she embraced the fact that they were here for her just as much as she was there for them.

Finding Steve convinced her that she wasn't just a pawn in the stones' scheme. After all they were the universe and she was just, well, herself, she already had trouble thinking that she was worth the Avengers' attention so the Universe's one. Meanwhile Steve wasn't attached to any of the Avengers or to Darcy, but he was connected to Tess. The Cube had wanted to protect him, rewarding him for freeing her, she had used his blood to link him to the humans thinking they would find him, help him.

Tess had tried to explain it to Darcy when they met, told her Steve was safe behind the wall of energy she had created to protected them while they talked in Tony's lab but Darcy hadn't understood what it meant back then. The Tesseract had used Steve, the same way Aether had used Jane, making it so people, read the Dark Elves would had been the last people to touch it, could find her, except that it had took 70 years to work.

Anyway Tess wasn't the reason why Darcy loved Steve, she wasn't why Darcy loved Clint either, she knew she didn't need to prove that to herself or to the cube, they were hers, because she was the one controlling her life and her bonds, and she wasn't going to let millenary stones dictate her life. Going through with her plan was her own way of saying 'Back off'.

Darcy shook her head to get back into the moment. The boys didn't even wait for the Elevator to get to their floor. Darcy was fine with that she didn't feel like waiting anyway, she wanted to feel them on her skin, make sure they were there, they were concrete and not just sensation the stones created for her.

Steve and Clint were kissing and she wondered if she would ever get tired of watching that. She didn't know if it was due to a kink she wasn't aware of, or if it was just them, but the view was exhilarating. Steve was manhandling Clint so he would stay upright against the elevator wall, both hands on his waist thumbs barely brushing against his ribs applying just the right amount of pressure for Clint to whimper from the flash of pain every other touch. Clint's uninjured hand tugged in Steve's short hair, pulling on it to get the man's mouth back to his every time Steve moved away to kiss his cheek or his neck.

She was so fascinated by them that it took her a while to realize they needed to get out, to find their room and get the little more privacy they would need if they wanted to keep going. She grabbed what she could, which happened to be their belts, and dragged her kissing boyfriends to their room.

As soon as the door was closed behind them both men caught her in their arms exchanging a lazy grin.

"Don't you want to play with us?" Steve asked her pouting.

"You want me to show you how much I want to play?" She asked him not really giving him time to answer.

If the afternoon had to have one benefit, it was that expanding the shield was easier, it had quickly become like a second skin to her, she could feel everything it touched, but what she knew for sure was that both men would know just how much she wanted to play with them. They would know exactly what the little show they put on had done to her, how much she loved them, how much she wanted to feel them on her skin. And hopefully nothing else.

"Darce." She heard one of them moan.

She wasn't really sure which one it was because she wanted to try something new and she needed to get past Clint lusty share of their bond, past Steve's amusement of their newly discovered connection as well as his desire for them, she just needed to take a deep breath and…

"What the fuck?" Clint yelled. This time she knew it was him because Steve rarely swear, but her mind was still fuzzy on who was who and she needed to get it straight if she wanted to enjoy it herself and not get lost into connecting them to one another.

"Just give me a second." She told them putting herself in between them so they would stop touching just for a moment.

"Darce." Steve groaned, follow by a rush of want she knew wasn't coming from her.

"You like that?" Steve asked Clint with a smirk.

"How? What?" Clint mumbled lost in his own confusion.

"I think little Darcy wants to play a new game." Steve explained grinning and leaning in on Clint taking his face in both hands kissing passionately.

Darcy felt Clint's knees weaken as well as hers did, she could feel the brush of Steve's tongue over Clint's lips, the way Clint was restraining himself liking when Steve took the lead on their play. They were surrounding her both physically and mentally. They were only touching each other, Steve's arms only brushing hard enough against her side to push her shirt against her skin, but it felt like his fingers were exploring her burning skin instead of running gently against Clint's abs.

She knew, Steve could feel it too and Clint was barely breathing anymore behind her. He was completely overwhelmed, and she wasn't faring better, starting to feel like she was burning from the inside out. She couldn't let herself succumb entirely to it though she had a plan she needed to see it through.

"Bed." She whispered but they got the message, Steve leading his little pack back to the bed, never getting his hands away from Clint, the three of them groaning at the same time when he managed to graze Clint's nipple with his nail.

"Darce. You're are amazing." He told her sitting on the bed to tug her against him, in between his legs, he kissed her, nipping on her lower lip gently, tugging it in between his lips to suck on it lightly.

"Okay I need to sit down." Clint told them and Steve helped him down on the bed so he would be sitting close enough so their thighs would touch. "Something is wrong with me; all I can think about his 'How?'." Clint admitted, shaking his head but still smiling.

"Is it really important to get into it right _now_?" She asked him climbing over Steve so she would be able to push Clint down on the bed to straddle him gesturing for their lover to get behind him so they could help move him further down the bed.

"No not important. Please go on." Clint told her in between kisses, Steve tugging on her shirt to take it off. "I am with Steve on that one, more naked people." He said happily taking his own shirt off.

"Let me help." She told him her hands on his belt to take it off, she looked up to see that Clint was doing the same with Steve's jean, mimicking her movement, waiting for her when she stopped to admire them.

She had never felt what she felt for them with anyone before, and she doubt anyone could ever understand what they shared, this constant need to simply be in each other presence to feel complete and safe, the need to push each other limits, as long as it didn't push any of them away physically. They needed to touch to feel like one. And right now it's exactly what they were; one entity exploring the limit of what they could do.

"Darce." She heard over her in a soft voice making her realize that they knew what she had just felt, so she shook her head and brush their needs to tell her they loved her too away she didn't need that, she knew it she could feel it. What she really needed was to feel some skin under hers.

"Not now. I need…" She said and opened Clint's fly tugging on his short to free him. "Exactly what I needed." She sighed smiling getting her hand on Clint's hard member making both him and Steve moan. "I can work with that." She said grinning to herself.

Not that it was really any work, she actually loved sex with them as much as any other part of their relationship, but she was in a mood for some fun and she wanted the both of them to enjoy it so they would forget about the rest of it.

"Don't touch each other." She told them when she looked up to see them kiss. "I have a plan." She added and extended her hand to Steve so he would come and sit next to Clint where she could touch him too.

"Equation: how long can the both of you last while having a blowjob and handjob at the same time?" She asked them not waiting for an answer before she took Steve erected member in her other hand licking Clint's penis from root to head teasing the slit with little licks. All the while massaging Steve's with the pad of her thumb following the same path, her nail grazing against his skin.

"Lube. Gonna' be even better with lube." Clint groaned.

"You should have more faith in me." Darcy told him blowing air with each word over the head of his cock making both of them shudder. Then she switched her tongue trailing a path on Steve's penis with her tongue, while playing with her fingers on Clint's skin.

"You're a genius." Steve told her growling.

"Great! Let's move this along, until you can't comment anymore." She snapped at them. Not that she didn't appreciate them complimenting her and usually she was all for praise in bed or in other places but right now they seemed to forget that they were not the only ones being overwhelmed by their combined sensations.

"Darce." Clint complained to her being angry at them. "Come up here."

"We're only commenting to distract ourselves. It's an intense experience." Steve told her.

"My bonds, my game, my move." She told him looming over them pointing a finger over each heart and trying to stay serious. "Now let me blow you before I change my mind."

"Yes ma'am." They both answered in one voice.

"Great. Now on the bed kiss each other so I can watch I need to get back in the mood." She told them biting her lower lip to keep herself from laughing.

It wasn't like they were not happy to oblige, they got closer to the headboard and Steve grabbed Darcy to put her between them, then moved to straddle Clint himself making sure not to rest on his legs but putting all his weight on his hands on each sides of Clint's head making a show for Darcy's benefit brushing Clint's upper lip with the tip of his nose to make him open them, licking the contour of his lips with the tip of his tongue before taking it away when Clint tried to play to.

"I love you so much." She let slip and they looked at her with a grin she had only ever saw on them when they were alone.

"We love you too." Steve told her.

The few second after that were a blur, she found herself straddling Clint his front to her back Steve in front of her.

"That's not how I planned it." Darcy complained though she loved this new arrangement, she could feel the both of them against her, Steve's cock was against her entrance, and when did her jeans disappeared? Clint's hands were on her breast massaging them, his calloused fingers playing on her nipples making her whimper, he was kissing her collarbone from left to right letting his tongue out every other kiss, Steve exchanging deep filthy kisses alternatively with both of his lovers.

"Please." She whined.

"It's okay baby, we got you." He said and nodded to Clint who turned her head with one hand to kiss her while Steve guided himself into her. He would usually take more time to play and tease her but the all situation had managed to take them all on the edge of the precipice already, each of them feeling the other ready to topple over and any how she appreciated to feel full, Steve's cock pumping on her G-spot.

One of the advantages of dating a Super Soldier, Steve was holding himself over Clint so their injured partner wouldn't support too much of their combined weight all the while ravaging her. Darcy knew he would do that what surprised her more was when she felt Steve's other hand on her ass pulling her up so she wouldn't sit on Clint's lap anymore but holding her just high enough for both her behind and Steve's fingers to brush against Clint's cock with every move.

Clint and Darcy's kisses got deeper as their triad grew closer to their release.

"I need to do something." Darcy told them before kissing Clint again letting the wave of pleasure flow inside her, every muscles of her body contracting, feeling Steve's than Clint's orgasms roll over her too. Keeping them all up and high for as long as she could.

"Tired." She told them when Steve helped them lay back down on the bed. She stayed awake long enough to feel the both of them snuggling against her, putting light kisses on her skin. Long enough to make sure what she had planner would work, running her hand over Clint's ribs.


	59. Recognition

**Recognition.**

Tony managed to wait, actually wait, not something he was known for but he didn't really want to interrupt Darcy, Clint and Steve, like every one of them, they lived different lives, not spending enough time in a nice bubble of love. If anyone knew he was thinking that he would be in so much trouble, well Pepper knew but Pepper knew everything about everything, including the things Tony wasn't aware she knew.

Darcy had been right, Pepper was thinking the young woman was his daughter and she told him it was a good thing they were away for a while because she would need time to think about what it meant. Turns out, since she had agreed to marry him last Christmas she had been consulting lawyers on how she could adopt Darcy even though the woman was an adult now. She wanted to surprise them both for the girl's birthday, or at least the date she had as a birthdate for her. She sent her assistant to consult them, with a fake story about her husband only finding out he had a daughter, of course.

Pepper also told him he should talk to Darcy about it because legally she was his daughter even if Elizabeth raised her, and that could change Darcy's life forever if anyone ever got it out.

He had been waiting for almost 24 hours to talk to Darcy and figured if Clint and Steve got out of the room before her, he could sneak in and spend some alone time with her. Deadpool had given him a letter he had for Darcy and it was the perfect excuse to go upstairs to bug her.

The rest of the group was debriefing about the afternoon all amazed by what Darcy had done 'to' them, and even though he was only half listening, if one of the X-Men said that Darcy had done something 'to' them instead of 'for' them one more time he was going to call the suit and deal with it personally, _if_ Nat and Bruce who looked just as twitchy about it didn't beat him to it. Logan seemed to be on their side for a reason he couldn't figure out.

Steve and Clint finally got back downstairs 2 hours after the training had stopped, which meant they had been gone for almost 3 hours, because Hulk was having too much fun for them to stop right away after Darcy left the room. And no he didn't want to know what they did for 3 hours, even though Clint sleepy hair cut was kind of reassuring him. Speaking about Clint, the man seemed to breath better, and he was walking just fine with only one of his crushes. Tony looked at Bruce who, had obviously seen the same thing he did, shrugged and looked up to the bedrooms. One more thing to talk to Darcy about, it seemed.

Tony decided that it was time, and sneaked out of the room, climbed up the stairs and knocked at their bedroom but Darcy didn't answer, he knocked again, still no answer. If the boys were downstairs Darcy must have been in the bathroom, he thought and opened the door to get inside.

Darcy wasn't in the bathroom though, she was asleep, thankfully she at least had a shirt on, no doubt Steve had forced it on her to prevent another Kitty incident, although the young woman didn't seem all that regretful about her previous encounter with Steve and Clint making out. Tony was about to close the door to let her sleep when she called for him. He was certain that she was sleeping though so he came closer, closing the door behind him.

"You should keep sleeping." He told her.

"Not sleeping." She mumbled rolling over and patting the bed next to her for him to sit on.

"You're making a good impression of a sleeping Darcy then." He told her, taking his shoes and his jacket off, sitting next to her and letting her roll back onto him to cuddle.

"Not good." She said scrunching her nose and pushing him out of them bed to be able to hold the covers up for him to get under. Tony took his vest off to get more comfortable before laying down next to her.

"Better" she said rubbing her cheek against his quality cotton shirt.

"Darce?" Tony probed wanting to know if Darcy was really awake.

"Not sleeping, head ache." She explained.

"You want me to let you rest?" Tony asked.

"Cuddle is good." Darcy told him.

"Then why did you send your men away?" Tony asked and Darcy looked up at him grinning. "I changed my mind I don't want to know."

"Good call." Darcy told him. "Plus you wanted to talk." She informed him and he looked at her in wonder for a few seconds.

"How?" Tony asked but Darcy just shook her head against his chest.

"You don't want to know." She repeated to him.

"Of course I want to know Darce. Everything about you is something I want to know." He told her but corrected himself immediately. "Unless it has to do with something that happened in this bed or in your bed at the tower with my team mates." He added.

"Smart man." Darcy told him giggling before she groaned holding her head.

"Darce, did you take something for your head?" He asked her.

"Not gonna' work, there is just too much noise in my head, it will go away on its own." She informed him.

"Too much noise like when you listen in on Clint?" He wondered but she didn't answer.

"Darce!" He said holding her face toward himself. "What happened to Clint?"

"Nothing!" She whined hiding herself against his shoulder.

"Darcy!" He told her in a warning tone.

"How about you explain to me why you adopted me instead." Darcy asked him and to be honest it was what he came up to talk about so he couldn't really deny it to her.

"I was there when they took you away from Elizabeth after your birth and I just couldn't let go of you." He told her. "I knew you were bonded to me. I…" He started then stopped, he had only ever explained the real reasons to Jarvis, both version, and he didn't really know what Darcy would make of that.

"Tony?" She inquired in a little voice.

"When Howard first started to study the Tesseract, I went down to his lab to see what was more interesting than me to him this time and…" He stopped he knew the Tesseract had talked to Darcy back in his lab, this wasn't that different.

"She talked to you." Darcy whispered in awe.

"Yeah she told me I needed to find and protect you." He explained. "How do you know that?" He asked and she pointed at her head.

"My headache, it's not Clint. The stones are chatting." She told him. "They don't want to shut up." She whined.

"The stones?" Tony asked almost jolting her out of his arms in surprise. "You mean the Tesseract and the Aether?"

"And their brother and sisters, someone is trying to steal them away, someone bad, they want my help, our help." She told him.

"I thought they were away in space." Tony told her, because Tess had stopped talking to him after Howard took her away from the house, or when he was away at school, the only time he heard her while away was in the cave.

"Not all of them." Darcy told him shaking her head.

"Some of them are still on earth?" He asked. "I thought Thor said it was better not to keep them in one place." But Darcy only shrugged.

"I don't know where they are, maybe on Mars or Jupiter, I just know that at least one of them is closer than Tess or Aether." Darcy assured him.

"Maybe Jane could find them." Tony told her starting to get lost in thoughts about what Jane would need to find them and how happy Thor would be to bring them back to his father and how Darcy would be safe once the Stones would all be under Odin's protection. Or maybe they could convince Odin to put Darcy in the safe to protect herself and the stones. _No that was stupid_ he thought shaking his head.

"You stayed away from me." She told him making herself comfortable on his shoulder as if to listen to a story, getting him out of his frantic thoughts.

"What are you…?" Tony asked.

"You left me to Elizabeth." Darcy explained. So they were back to that.

"I was scared. A blue stone that blew out half of my house once told me to find you. I was 17 and my parents were dead, I wasn't even old enough to be on my own according to the company's lawyers, Obadiah had to adopt me for the remaining 3 months." Tony explained. "I didn't want him to adopt you. With Elizabeth, I had options if anything had gone bad, I was able to take you away from her, Obadiah would never have allowed that."

"But you could have visited, Shelbey is a cool Aunt but you would have been a very good Uncle, teaching me all sorts of bad stuff to do." Darcy told him and Tony had to admit he had thought about it, Elizabeth even asked about it once or twice over the years, especially after Darcy's first trip to the hospital, but he had been selfish, he was in a bad place at that time and he didn't want to have to take care of Darcy or so he told her.

"You didn't want to take care of me, or you didn't want me to take care of you?" She asked right on point like always.

"I hired Pepper instead." Tony told her, and hoped it answers that.

"I like Pepper, apart from the fact that I want to be part her, part Nat, part Sif, when I grow up, she makes you happy." She told him.

"She likes you too." He told her kissing the top of her head, wondering if he should tell her about the adoption when Darcy wasn't even considering him as her father anyway. "And you're perfect as you are no need to become any of them."

"Do you think Elizabeth ever loved me?" She finally asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh Darce, off course she did. I signed the adoption papers the day I turned 18, if she didn't love you all she had to do was give you back to me, she never complained about raising you, not even once, I know the money thing made you think she didn't like you, but she never asked for it, she only took what I offered and always made sure to move you close to a good school not caring about how much it would cost because she knew I would pay." Tony explained.

"But she didn't like spending time with me." Darcy told him and Tony's heart broke a little, it explained so much of how Darcy was now, always trying to be on top of everything as if they wouldn't let her stay if she missed a meal, or didn't manage to put one of them to sleep, or if anything happened to one of them on a mission she had approved. "She told me you didn't exist."

"I think…" He stopped there not really knowing how to explain.

"Tony?" She probed.

"I think she was trying to protect you." Tony told her. "Ross kidnapped you Darcy, we are kind of keeping you away from the world too." Tony tried to find the right words for her to understand what he meant. "Everyone deals with our bonds in a different way. She let you get out into the world but wanted for the bonds to disappear. We are letting you explore the bonds all you want, enjoy them even, but we are keeping you away from the world."

"Because bad people would use me against you." Darcy told him.

"No Darce not…" Tony started but he needed her to look at him for that. "Darcy!" He said helping her standing straighter so he could look at her. "We are not keeping you in the tower to protect ourselves, or maybe we do but not for the reasons you seem to think about." He told her.

"Then why?" Darcy asked.

"We don't want to loose you." Tony told her. "We all love you so much Darce, we don't want anyone to kidnap you and torture you to get to us. Even letting you expose yourself by being the boss of us took a long talk between us, mostly Bruce and Pepper telling us to shove it but still, you are not just our bond person or our protégée as Thor called you, you are a part of our family, and we protect what's ours." Tony tried to explain but he wasn't really good with words, or with emotions in general.

"That's cute." Darcy told him kissing his cheek. "I can protect myself." She reminded him.

"I know you can, Honey. Everyone heard the story of Thor and the Taser." He told her taking her into his arms for a hug. She could protect herself but it didn't mean that she would be able to against Hydra, against the people who almost killed Nat, Fury and Steve. "How about you guard the stones and we protect you, just like Daddy Odin decided it would be all those centuries ago?" He bargained.

"It's what we already do." Darcy complained.

"Seems like a good plan to me. You're still alive." Tony told her kissing her temple.

"Fine, I'll stop complaining if you all let me out sometime, and someone gives me lessons on how to defend myself so I have some hope of getting out on my own one day." Darcy asked about.

"I think I can negotiate that with the others." He told her.

"Do you know who my biological father is?" Darcy asked him and Tony had been dreading that question, though his heart swelled a little when she said 'biological' it was giving him a little hope that maybe someday she would forgive what he did and accept to be his daughter for real.

"Legally and unless we find him someday and he wants to claim you, I am your father." Tony told her, not able to keep some of his nervousness out of his voice. "I know Jarvis tried to find him when he was working on the legal papers with aunt Peggy, but he never told me what he found."

" _Aunt_ Peggy?" Darcy asked.

"Peggy was really good friend with Howard and Jarvis, she used to babysit me when I was little." Tony told her with a smile. "I never found how to talk about it with Steve."

"He is keeping things from you too." Darcy told him. "He wants to protect his friend and Howard's son, just like you want to protect your friend and childhood nemesis/hero." She explained.

"And there is close to zero chance you'd tell me what it is about, is there?" Tony asked.

"Zero chance." Darcy confirmed nodding.

"You know, you're a Stark, officially. That's if you ever want to be." He said but looked at Darcy as she started to get back to laying on the bed holding her head.

"They are still talking?" He asked and she nodded. "Darcy, how come you can hear them?" Tony tried again.

"How come you could?" Darcy retoured.

"I think you know the answer to that better than I do. It's not the first time I see you talk with Tess, I just never said anything about it." Tony admitted.

"It's not just Tess." She told him but didn't give him the time to tell her that he already knew that. "Not now anyway." She kept going. "I only hear parts of the conversation, only the things they are telling to Tess when the others talk among themselves I hear nothing." Darcy told him.

"You mean like you do with Clint?" Tony asked and she nodded. "Since they are not next to each other you can't hear everything."

"See you understand perfectly." She told him.

"And what are they arguing about?" Tony asked her.

"How do you know they are arguing?" Darcy wondered.

"Because they are not including you in their little talk." Tony explained. "We do the same when we talk about keeping you safe, and it always includes a lot of arguing."

"Fine. Some of them think I am taking too much risks, others not enough and they don't seem to be able to agree." Darcy admitted trying to hide herself under her pillow.

"Darce, is it about what happened this afternoon?" Tony asked.

"Depends on what part of the afternoon." She mumbled surely thinking that he wouldn't get it. "No!" She told him. "They agree that understanding how the bonds works was a good thing I should do that more often." She said.

Darcy started to shake her head but not as to tell him to stop talking she was trying to get the stones off her head. Tony thought it was the perfect moment to distract her.

"Darcy, how do you know Wade?" Tony asked, because he knew he wasn't the only one wondering about that but he was pretty sure the others would manage to get it out of the Red Spangled dude downstairs.

"Charles let him in." She affirmed.

"Yeah. But he is refusing to answer that question. He just gave me this." Tony said getting the letter he had put down with his jacket to show it to her.

"That's weird." Darcy said looking at the envelop. "They are not supposed to get mail addressed to me."

"That's what he said." Tony told her. But took the letter away when she tried to grab it. "Answer my question first?" He asked.

"Vanessa, Wade's girlfriend, was my neighbor and friend last time I lived in NY. After Ross and the desert, I came back to Williamsburg and told them to move away immediately, I figured if Ross didn't find Max he would be happy enough with Deadpool. He's adopted me since." She explained while trying to get over him to grab her mail. "You know that stealing someone's mail is a federal offence, right?" Darcy told him sighing.

"The boys are right; you need to stop collecting crazy people." Tony told her, giving her the envelop.

"But you're all a little crazy." She said grinning. Tony had to admit she was right, although no one was as crazy as their newest arrival, and he had only spent an hour with the man.

"It's from Vegas." Darcy told him, though they all had noticed that downstairs before they figured who should give it to her.

"Nat thinks it might be from your mom." Tony explained.

"Elizabeth?" Darcy asked but didn't give him time to answer. "How would she know to write to Wade and Vanessa to find me? She didn't even know about Max, and even if she did, she wouldn't know that those two knew I wasn't really Max." Darcy rambled seating up, her headache totally forgotten as she tore the letter open.

"Was Natasha right?" Tony asked when Darcy got several smaller envelop out of the torn one.

"Yeah, but it's not just for me. It's for the both of us." Darcy told him showing the note on top of a sealed letter.

 _Darcy,_

 _You're probably going to hate me after that, but know that I love you, always had, always will._

 _The papers I am sending are Starks'. Nick didn't want you to have them before he found answers but I need to hide April, keep her safe, I know you'll understand that with the fall of SHIELD, none of us are safe anymore._

 _Don't get mad at Tony, he did what he thought was best, without having all the Intel he needed. He did a great job and I hope he'll keep protecting you._

 _Be happy, my little girl, I am sorry I won't be able to watch you be an adult, fall in love, get married, have a family of your own. Even though I have always known it would end like this, I will miss not being a part of your life._

 _Love you always._

 _Mom_

 _To Tony_ _: Keep protecting her, it is what you do best._ _ **Don't**_ _kill Nick, he is finding answers he is the only one with the means to find._

"She is gone." Darcy told him handing out the letter.

"You don't know that." He tried to reassure her.

"But I do. She left a similar letter to her mother before we left Culver the first time. I was little and I wondered why she was doing it, and then I never saw my grand-mother again." Darcy explained.

Tony wondered if maybe they had made the wrong choice, Darcy should be with Clint, and Steve, not with him to read her mother's good-bye letter, even if part of it was meant for him.

"Darce?" He asked trying to stop her from reading the letter from the fourth time. "Did you know Elizabeth knew Fury?" He asked.

"Fury?" Darcy wondered looking up at him.

Of course she was crying, Darcy was a loving person, she poured her all heart into every new person she adopted, into her family, and whatever she kept telling him, them, no matter what new awful things Elizabeth did, she always loved her mother, and even though they could probably still find her, she wasn't dead after all, the woman was gone.

"She kept mentioning 'Nick', saying I can't kill him because he has answers, it screams Fury to me." Tony told her and he watched as Darcy read the letter again then stared at the wall for a while probably trying to connect the dots.

"I don't think I met him before the Triskelion in August." Darcy told him. "I would have remembered him." She added. She was probably right, Fury had a way of being unforgettable.

"Do you want me to get the others before we open the rest of it?" Tony asked her but Darcy shook her head.

"She said it was your papers. I rather know what it's all about before telling the others if you don't mind." She told him and he agreed giving her the second envelop to open.

"Why don't you do it?" Darcy asked.

"You're the one who said that stealing your mail would get the FBI on my ass." He told her grinning.

"Together?" She inquired and he nodded gathering Darcy next to him, making sure to keep her covered by the sheets.

Inside they found two folders one of them marked as SHIELD official file.

"So Fury." Darcy said picking up the SHIELD file.

"Fury." Tony agreed.

"And you're sure you don't know anything about it? You've been working with my mom for a long time." Darcy insisted on.

"I promise you Honey I didn't know anything. I didn't even know that SHIELD existed before Fury came into my house after I told the world I was Iron Man. What I knew was that Howard and Peggy were working together with the government but I was too young and they were not interested in telling me anything about it." Tony explained. "Fury is the one who told me my father founded SHIELD and worked with them and that was the week you met Thor. Your mom only told me she was part of a program testing the bonds nothing more than that."

"Okay, then let's take a look at it." She told him opening the beige folder.

The first papers there were his adoption papers, the proof that he had wished to be her father even 3 months after her birth, even after he had time to morn his parents, even after listening to aunt Peggy and Jarvis's attempts to reason with him, to keep him away from her.

"Wait what are those?" He asked taking the papers from her hands, he had recognized his father's signature at the end of it.

"Hey!" She protested. "I thought we were looking at them together." She told him trying to take the paper back from him.

"That's not…" He said but didn't finish, giving the papers to her to get her mother's letter once more. There it was hand-written on her good bye letter "Starks'" at first he thought it was a mistake but it was exactly what she meant, papers from several generations of Stark.

"Tony?" Darcy asked in a small scared voice.

"I didn't know about it I swear." Tony told her but he kept his eyes away from her.

"Tony!" She said again. "Please look at me."

Tony did he looked at Darcy and saw a scared young woman, whose all world had just crashed, Tony would usually deal with it by drinking, a lot, but he needed to take care of her, it was what he always wanted to do.

"It's okay Darcy, everything is fine." He told her getting her into a hug. "Being a Stark is not that bad." He tried to be as humorous as he could.

"But this says I am your sister." Darcy told him, as he hadn't come to this conclusion on his own already.

"I can read." He told her in a tone of voice that was angrier then he had meant to be.

"I am sorry." She said making herself as small as she could against him.

"No Darce, I am not…" Tony started but she kept looking at her birth certificate, a paper Howard and Maria had pre-signed, probably just in case they were on the other side of world the day she was born, it had even been notarized by aunt Peggy.

"Listen to me." He said turning around to talk to her face to face, though he had to laugh when she fell down on the bed because he went too fast for her to brace herself. "Sorry." He told her helping her back against the headboard.

"Look Darce, I know how this must look and I am not okay with it, far from it actually and I am sure you don't need me to tell you that for you to know it." He started and he looked up at her. "You can't do that Darce, you can't just make it about me. You're allowed to feel things too." He told her when he realized that she wasn't scared of him or of his reaction, she was making herself disappear to let him deal with the news instead of taking care of her.

"But…" She told him and he stopped her.

"No 'but' Darce, this…" He said grabbing the adoption papers. "This is you. You are my daughter. This…" he said taking the birth certificate in hands. "Maybe Howard would have been able to make it legal in court, I am pretty sure Pepper could too, if Howard and Maria had still been alive by the time you were born, but right now it means nothing other than the fact that we were meant to be a family." Tony told her and made sure to wait for her to nod that she understood before hugging her again.

"You're mine Darcy, I am not letting anyone take that away from you" Tony told her again and again until she stopped crying.

"I am sorry." He heard in a little voice a few minutes later.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Tony assured her.

"Tony, you said you never knew why your parents didn't take their plane as planned." Darcy told him. "They were coming to Culver for me."

"Well that's better than everything I imagined over the years. They wanted to be there for you." He said kissing the top of her head.

"There is something…" She waited and looked up at him. "Hydra killed your parents Tony." She told him hesitating.

"I know." He admitted.

"You know?" She asked.

"I took everything concerning the Winter Soldier or Barnes out of the SHIELD internet dump. I had plenty of time to read about his missions, since I was banned from the lab, I thought I could find something that would help Steve find him." Tony explained.

"You know Bucky didn't do it right?" Darcy asked him.

"I am not saying I am going to become his best friend if Cap and Sam find him, but I promise not to kill him, and to help find him. That should be enough for now." Tony told her coldly. "I know he didn't have a choice, Howard was Barnes' friend he wouldn't have killed the man. I just wished he would have remembered him the way he did Steve." Tony admitted, holding Darcy a little closer to himself.

"Tony?" Darcy told him in a little voice that often meant she had more bad news to tell.

"What now?" He asked her rolling his eyes.

"I wasn't theirs, never was." Darcy told him and he had to look down at her because he didn't know what she was talking about. "JARVIS! He reads our DNA to allow access to the higher levels of the tower, he would have told you if I was your sister."

"Maybe he thought I already knew." Tony tried but he wasn't convinced. Darcy was right, something wasn't adding up.

"We should look into the SHIELD folder maybe we could find answers about that." He told her and grabbed the folder to hold it in front of her.

Inside, were only copies of official papers, but they found Elizabeth's, or more accurately agent Lisa Mills' SHIELD file, complete with a picture confirming she was Darcy's mother, or at least the mother who raised her, but Darcy said she didn't want to look into it right away.

The second file was a debriefing from Lisa after a mission involving Obadiah. The man had proved to be evil already, spending a lot of time complaining about Howard and Tony, planning ways to get rid of them both in front of his assistant without any care, Tony felt better about his decision not to let him adopt Darcy back then.

Then came the biggest part of the folder, this one had documented briefings over something called 'Project Earth Child', proof that Howard, Peggy, Fury, Pym, McCoy, Xavier but also Ross, Striker, the World Council and even Pierce, meaning Hydra, had been involved in this operation. They also found papers Agent Mills signed saying that she was volunteering to infiltrate the program on behalf of Howard Stark and that her handler had been Fury, which certainly explained why Elizabeth knew him.

"That…" Darcy said suddenly, she was reading the last paper while he was trying to memorize everything and remember if he ever heard his parents talk about that program or about giving him a little sister. "That's not…" she tried again and Tony looked at her she was as white as the sheets and pushed him away getting to the bathroom.

"Darce?" Tony asked not moving from the bed at first, he wasn't a big fan of people throwing up.

"That's disgusting. Why did they allow that?" Darcy asked from the bathroom clearly not taking whatever she read well, and he saw her ready the file on his kidnapping without even shading a tear.

Tony took the file she was reading and went to sit with her in the bathroom, taking the time to fill a glass he found near the sink with water to give her. He didn't ask anything just stayed next to her, rubbing a hand on her back while she kept alternating from sobbing, to thinking, to throwing up again.

He read parts of the file, he couldn't read all of it or something bad would have happened. He was already wondering how all those people could have agreed to breed, test and probably kill from what he read back on the bed about Striker's test on children. It was the first time since he had been injected with Extremis that he actually felt like he was on fire, even though judging by Darcy's reaction to his hand on her back he seemed more warm than burning.

Darcy must have felt his hesitation because she took the papers from him, browsing it until she found the page she wanted him to read.

It wasn't like the others, it wasn't a report on a meeting or stats and statements, it was a mission order for one agent Lisa Mills, to become Starks surrogate, and to under no circumstances prevent Stane's plan to go as planned, which was to switch Howard's DNA for his.

"I was just a pawn in their power game, I didn't mean anything to any of them." Darcy told him. "How could Elizabeth, Fury or even Peggy agree to use me?" She asked him in between sobs. "Not even use me, they let scientists create me for a mission." She told him leaning into him for a hug. "They let Stane corrupt my DNA to get him away from your family. I didn't even matter to them." She kept going and Tony listened to her while reading the mission report.

She was right, SHIELD and associates, they usually let people get killed, if they are bad, but Fury had showed them that he cared, and Elizabeth had raised Darcy, and they kept it from them. Human experimentation had been part of every of the Avengers' life at one point of another, but this was a new step into horror. They let it play out, not caring about what it would do to the little girl, Lisa would give birth to.

Tony might not have known about his parents plan to have a new baby, but he knew what kind of parents they were, he knew they regretted the way they had raised him and maybe Darcy was meant to be their due over, just as Darcy kept saying April was Elizabeth's, but once they would have known about Obadiah and what he had done they would probably had kept the girl since she was half Maria's still but they would have cast her away to prep-school and boarding school just like they had done to him.

Tony took the papers and made a ball with it sending them to the bathroom basket.

"I don't care about all of this, and no one downstairs will either." Tony told her thinking it would make her feel better.

"Tony!" She growled going to the basket to get the papers. "Obadiah? Maria? Howard? It's all the same, JARVIS would know." She told him. "They tried to play Frankenstein with me, they thought they knew everything but they were wrong, I am not related to any of those people." She explained pushing the papers under his nose.

"Pierce." Tony said and Darcy had to throw up again or at least she tried she didn't have anything left in her stomach. Tony moved her so she would sit closer to him and hugged her tightly.

"Hydra engineered me." She told him trying to get away. "I don't think they took that risk just so I would be a good girl living with Elizabeth. They don't make good people." She told him shivering.

"Elizabeth, Phil, Clint, Tasha, and I, we are what makes you, you. We raised you, grew up with you, you were never HYDRA's." He told her angrily. "Hydra was never a part of your life, and never will be."

"Tony?" She told him in a small voice. "Please stop yelling at me."

"I am sorry" He answered more calmly. "Is your head still hurting you?"

"The stones are really, really mad." She told him, nodding against his chest, and holding her head again. "They say I was meant to be, but they listened to us and they think the method was bad."

"I know a lot of people who would agree, both downstairs and back home." Tony assured her.

"I want revenge." She told him resolutely. Tony had to admit he totally agreed on this plan, although he didn't think he would ever hear that sentence get out of Darcy's mouth if she wasn't talking about a prank. And for what it was worth he too wanted revenge on everyone involved. "You need to find Fury, Elizabeth said he should have answers, I want to know where I came from." She added. "And I want to talk to Skye."

Tony had to agree, Phil had said Skye had Intel on the hospital she was born at, it would be a good idea to talk to the young hacker.

"Do you want to tell the others?" Tony asked her because if she chose not to he would keep it all to himself.

"I think I just did." She said looking up toward the bedroom. Tony did too and found the other members of their family looking down at them from the bedroom, the files and letters in hands.

"Damn ninja." Tony muttered. They could always sneak up on them and he hated that.

There was still one question having the others around reminded him off. He waited until Darcy was back in bed, helped to that by Clint and Natasha. Tony getting himself back into the bed to cuddle with her.

"Darce, what happened to Clint?" Tony inquired once again.

"I think we are all wondering about that." The rest of the team asked looking between Clint and Darcy.

"I have a headache I need to sleep." Darcy told them and put the pillow over her head snoring exuberantly loudly.

"Come on baby, I understand it's been a hard day for you but no one is mad at you, and I deserve to know what you did, don't you think?" Clint asked positioning himself on Darcy's other side.

"You're not mad?" She asked still hiding.

"Not mad." Nat told her, followed by Steve and Bruce. Nat even pushed the papers away saying "You're still our Darcy, we don't care about all of this." She grabbed one of the paper from the floor to hand it to Darcy making her smile. "Except maybe for this one. This one you should always keep on yourself." She told her and Tony looked down at what Darcy was holding tightly against her, kissing her forehead and holding her a little tighter, exchanging a smile with Nat when he saw it was her adoption papers.

"The stones are. At least a little, or not really mad just worried." She told them pointing at her head.

"What happened Darcy?" Bruce asked again.

"They don't approve of what we just find out." Darcy told them.

"None of us do." Steve assured her.

"It's not just about that though." Bruce inquired again.

"It's about the bonds, Tess assures me that whatever happened before I was born, the stones trust me, it's my right to use them, they are meant for it. They are made so the protectors can always know if I am safe and I can always know if something is wrong with them so I can hide if something is happening." Darcy started.

"So this afternoon?" Nat asked.

"Is to repeat? Yes. And to do the other thing we talked about too." Darcy told her nodding.

"And about me?" Clint asked putting a kiss on her shoulder.

"I used Steve." Darcy told them hiding back under her pillow as well as she could with Tony trying to take it away from her. In those kind of moments, he didn't regret not having to deal with a teenage Darcy.

Though the way she said 'Used' made him think that maybe she felt guilty about it, Tony hoped that she wouldn't start questioning everything, even if she was right and HYDRA did highjack SHIELD's plan, it didn't mean she was bad, DNA didn't make bad people, plus they could have mixed two noble price DNA meaning to indoctrinate her as she was growing up. Obadiah would have let them do that, if he had managed for his plan to turn out the way he wanted, he wouldn't have cared about Darcy's wellbeing, just like he never cared about his and HYDRA have to have known that.

"Used me?" Steve asked sitting with them on the bed. Tony asked silently if he wanted to take his place in the bed but Steve shook his head. Tony just had the time to worry that maybe Steve was mad at her before he put his hand on her legs over the covers rubbing his thumb on her calf.

"Not 'use' but maybe borrow. Yeah borrowed is better." Darcy said quickly confirming what Tony had feared, or at least part of it, because she didn't seem to feel guilty about it, more determined, and looking at the others especially, at Clint and Steve who were cuddling up to her, rubbing assured hands on her, made him think he wasn't the only one who had noticed Darcy's first behavior. Tony could admit that her boys calmed her and she was smiling again more like herself, they were good for her.

"First I think you should know as much as I do about the bonds." She told them. "Truth week, right?" she asked looking at Nat who nodded at her sitting on the bed next to Clint.

"Like Thor said, the bonds, ours, were supposed to be." She said. "Take that SHIELDRA." She mumbled after that. "They were just not supposed to be as strong as they are now. I guess they were only supposed to tell you when I need help protecting the Tesseract nothing more than that but both Steve's blood and the fact that the Stones knew they would all soon need a guardian, they made it better, so I could keep all of them safe instead of just one." She said.

"We already knew that." Bruce told her, and even though no one had ever asked Darcy or Thor about it, they had theories.

"Did any of you realize that the side effects are things you believe are weakness you need to get rid of?" She asked them and the following silence answered for them.

"Nat and I, and I believe Tony would confirm it, think that my part of the bonds activated following my birth." Just like she thought Tony nodded. "My first memory of it was how sad Tony was when Jarvis died." She told them and Tony hold Darcy a little closer to himself, he hated loosing people. "The side effects though…" She started.

"Tasha said it was the emotion behind the event that created the side effects, so birth would be one of them, and it's true to a certain degree." She kept going.

"It doesn't explain why you think they are weakness." Once again it came from Bruce, nice, smart Bruce who seemed to be the only one not affected by the emotional torment, or at least he was the only one strong enough to keep his mind on their goal.

"Tasha would continue fighting whatever injuries she had because she was told that being weak was not acceptable and the mission was all that mattered, so I get injured. Clint couldn't hear, and in the world he lived in, in the life he chose to keep living when he signed with SHIELD being deaf is considered to be a weakness, it was dangerous for him so I was listening in to protect him. Tony was told repeatedly that a real man doesn't express feelings, that you're only deserving of praise if you achieve something that will someday change the world, and that pain, mental or physical, isn't a reason not to move on; so I feel what he is hiding deeply." She explained.

"In the cave, you kept working, you carried the weight of what happened and what was going on with your heart and you kept going on no matter what they did to you acting like it was nothing, like it never happened." She told Tony directly.

"But you felt everything." He told her feeling a tear running down his cheek, because she was right, he snarled at them, he denied himself sleep, he acted like he wasn't in pain, and then Phil had told him what happened to Darcy and Tony realized all the pain she must have felt because of him.

"It was Ross' and Obadiah's fault." Darcy told him brushing away the stray tear with her thumb. "Not yours." Tony nodded, though he guessed the guilt would never go away.

"What about me? I don't think Hulk has any weakness." Bruce said.

"Then you're stupid and you're not stupid." Darcy told him sticking her tongue at him. "Your green side as a Human weakness the size of Iron Man." She said. "Hulk has been told he was a mistake and a monster all his life. Remember how the creature from Frankenstein only wanted to have a friend? Well Hulk is the same, he wants to be treated like a human, make friends, protect them, but he thinks he can't because he is a monster and no one can love him." She explained. "When I do something people told him made a monster of him, like hurt myself and cry out, or be angry or mad, he takes over so no one would call me a monster."

"Oh!" Bruce simply said sitting down with the rest of them. "I never thought about that."

"Yep, because you're one of those people who think he is a monster." Darcy accused him.

"No I am not." He disagreed.

"But you used to be." Darcy told him in a tone that clearly said that it wasn't up for debate but also not his fault.

"It doesn't explain what happened." Nat reminded them.

"That's because you're missing a part." Darcy told them and looked over at Steve who nodded. "Tess did something else while she was in the water. The bonds are not coming from me, the other bonds I mean, the ones that are not connected to me like you, the 'normal' ones." She explained.

"We are the normal ones." Clint objected and he was right, she just explained it to them, they were meant to be.

"Don't be cute. "she told him putting a light kiss on his lips. "I am supposed to take care of them like the rest of you because I protect what Tess created. But Steve is responsible for them." She said serious though badly hiding a giggle.

"Darce!" Steve told her in a voice that was both chastising and fond, clearly they had already talk enough to take the guilt he had felt, the first time he heard about the bonds, away.

"No more guilt trip you know we…" She said gesturing to the rest of them. "Are different." She told him. "Not yours." Steve nodded and gestured for her to go on.

"Steve saved Tess from Schmidt even though he was about to kill him, so when he touched down on the water Tess found him immediately and when she sent the coding to find us, she used her juiced up powers to bond People to Steve so they would find him." She explained. "I suppose she never thought that she would affect babies and not adults."

"How do you know that?" Clint asked.

"Do you remember how I told you Aether was evil and he took over Jane?" Darcy asked and they nodded. "I was wrong, Tess didn't want to work with Loki and Aether just wanted to belong to someone that was not Malekith. Jane happened not to be the person he was looking for. He wouldn't have had the same effects on me." She explained. "A part of him stayed with me, after I touched Jane and since then I can always feel Jane thanks to it, though it's different from the way I feel the rest of you, more like the people describe their bonds usually."

"There is more to it than that." Nat probed. "What's Steve weakness?" she asked.

"His health." Darcy told them without thinking before looking at Steve and blushing deeply.

"The man has a perfect body, it heals itself, where is the weakness in that?" Tony asked because now that he had Extremis in his system he had basically the same abilities though to stabilize it he had to tone it down a bit. A large bit.

"It wasn't always the case." Steve answered. "I used to wonder if I would survive the night, if it was cold, or in the spring when the asthma was the worst, or when I found someone to fight in an alley and the bruises on my body barely allowed me to breathe." He continued. "I thought all of this worries would end with Erskine's formula but then my friends started getting injured and died, and I started to think I didn't deserve it." He told them. "Even when I should have died in the crash I still survived, to wake up to a different world where everyone I used to know is dead." He reminded them off. "Being healthy became a curse."

Everyone listen almost religiously. Steve barely ever talk about himself, about the war, about the people he lost both back then, and because of the grief he felt when he woke up 70 years in the future. Tony sometimes found himself trying to imagine how he would have reacted if he had been kept in the Cave for 70 years and when he was finally rescued no one he cared about would even remember him. He had been lucky in that way, Rhodey kept looking for him and was there when it happened, both Pepper and Happy had been waiting for him at the airport tears of joy in their eyes, even JARVIS welcomed him home with sass.

"It's something, we often talk about, and I made sure they took it into consideration when they agreed to date me." He said gesturing to Darcy and Clint who both grabbed what they could of him to tug him closer. "Not a week pass by where I don't think about the fact that if we all miraculously survive our jobs, I'll live longer than them, maybe even longer than our children if we ever have some." He said kissing both of his partners. "It wasn't part of Erskine selling points."

"It's a burden we all have to bare in some way." Nat told him and Tony couldn't understand how she could say something like that after such a heartbreaking moment, the man deserved to have his own flaws to share if he wanted. "Don't get me wrong, I am glad you talked about it with them and us; and I think it's really sad that you could loose them some day. None of us wants that to happen, neither for your couple or for us, their friends…" She said but Steve interrupted her.

"I wasn't just thinking about them." He protested, along with almost everyone around them. 'Almost' because Darcy just looked at Nat with careful eyes.

"You didn't let me finish Steve, because in the hypothetic world where we all survive being Avengers you're not the only one who will have to bury them." She said making everyone around them shut up. "I know it's not on my file but we all know I have the Red Room's version of the super-soldier serum in me, and Bruce has it too. Barnes probably got injected with it back in Germany or he wouldn't have survived the fall from the train or HYDRA. We don't really know the long term effect of Extremis but both Pepper and Tony could survive all of us. Thor is a thousand years old, he'll survive us all for us." She explained matter-of-factly. "We don't know what Fury did to Phil for him to survive and be up and running, and not connected to Darcy a week after Loki killed him." She kept going.

"Wait you're looking into that too?" Darcy asked, clearly shocked.

"Phil is one of us, and Fury did something, whether Phil is aware of it or not, of course we are looking into it." Clint told her.

"We really need to work on our communication skills" Tony said sighing. They needed to talk more, and maybe a meeting once a week where everyone would tell the other what they were working on and why or with whom.

"That's a great idea." Darcy told him.

"Did I said all of that out loud?" Tony asked because he was certain that he didn't.

"Darcy!" Nat yelled at her.

"So no then?" Tony asked and Darcy shook her head.

"One thing at the time, Clint first." Bruce reminded them.

"Oh yeah, so we 'connected'…" She said waving her eyebrows suggestively. "And to make it even better I connected Steve to Clint using my own link to Tess to do it." She told them and everyone looked at her like she just spoke Chinese or Japanese or whatever language they didn't speak, which with the spies could be alien for all he knew.

"Run that by us again." Clint asked.

"You were there, weren't you? It's easy. Us, sex. Connecting Steve to our pre-existing game…" She explained.

"Too much information, Darce." Tony told her covering her mouth until she nodded for him that she understood. They had talked about that already, what she did with Clint and Steve was off limits.

"We were busy, you said you'd explain later." Steve reminded her.

"I connected myself to Clint, then I opened the permanent connection I have to Tess so she would connect me to Steve, we had fun, because yes Tony, when you can feel everything your partners feel it makes for a lot of fun." She started over and Tony groaned in protest but let her do it her way. "And while we were napping I let Steve super healing powers heal you." She said running a hand over Clint's previously injured ribs.

"How did you know it would work?" Steve asked.

"That's what shocks you?" Nat asked him.

"Right now yes." Steve told her coldly.

"Tess does it all the time." She told them. "I just didn't know where it was coming from, but I always wondered why my 'Tasha injuries' only stay for 24 hours max, and why they don't leave any marks, I thought it was coming from Tasha's serum blood but I realized that she doesn't heal as quickly as I do, she just acts like she doesn't feel it and goes on with her life." She said clearly criticizing the Russian assassin, because Darcy was crazy.

"Is she supposed to help you?" Bruce asked.

"That's what they are fighting about." Darcy said pointing her head again. "She is not supposed to but they are in danger and they don't have time for a new me to be born…" She started to explain. "Especially if they have to wait for HYDRA to trick more people." She hissed but Tony pushed the adoption papers closer to her to remind her that she was a Stark no matter what her DNA or Hydra had to say about that, whatever came toward them they were a family.

"They don't have time for another guardian to grow up so she does it any way." She continued as if nothing happened. "And that, the stones kind of approve of, they are arguing about it but they agree she is right." Darcy said and Tony almost forgot that they were not there for the first part of their talk.

"What are you talking about?" Clint asked.

"The stones are fighting they think what I did was dangerous because someone they fear is looking for them and what I did could have led him to me and they can't let that happen. That's why they stopped me and you still have your cast." She told him, making no sense to absolutely everyone around them.

"I told you after Loki used Tess, she was scared about someone more powerful and more evil, the stones seem to think that I can use the bonds all I want to connect to any and all of you. But I can't play with it if it has to go through one of them. It's some kind of triangulation thing. Tess can do it because it leads to her, and that's how whoever is looking for them knew she was on Earth." She informed them.

"But apparently I can't, too dangerous, some of them think I should be allowed to because an injured protector is a liability so I should be able to borrow Steve's abilities on any of you, and the others think that it's better if I stay safe and unnoticed, practicing with the existing bonds until the time comes the bad person try to take them away from me." Darcy explained again but was still no help.

"You want our input?" Bruce asked looking as if he had followed her explanation.

"Nope thank you I know it already; you think it's a big risk to take when it would only work on Clint but would put everyone in danger." Darcy told him and he nodded. "It's what I think too but I was not invited to give my opinion yet."

"I think it's the right call." Clint informed her.

"I know Hawky." She said before leaning in to kiss him.

It was a really bad time to mock the cute pet-name, right? There were more pressing things to think about. Tony was restraining himself but taking a look around him showed that he wasn't alone in his misery, Bruce and Nat were about to burst into laughter.

"I am already working with Helen Cho to make sure we will be able to heal Clint as fast as if he had any serum but without injecting him with it." Tony explained.

"You're doing that?" Darcy asked him with hopeful eyes.

"Well it's supposed to be part of the new SI projects but yeah, he is a member of our family and, well, I didn't know about all the bonds manipulation, but I guessed it could be a good use for Extremis in the world and for all the Humans who live with us." Tony explained.

"Thank you." Darcy told him hugging him tightly.

"And for what it's worth I don't think any of those HYDRA tugs would feel bad about not being able to heal Clint." Tony added whispering in her ear, she nodded agreeing and kissed in cheek.

"Now about the reading our minds think." Nat wondered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Darcy told her and started getting out of bed but Nat caught her pinning her to the bed. "You can't do that, it's not fair-play." She told her assailant.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nat repeated to her.

"I can't tell you." Darcy told them but didn't give any time for Nat to protest again. "Charles can read you minds, I don't want him to have all the pieces of the puzzle." She explained. "Especially now that I know he has more of them than me."

"Can't he read yours?" Steve asked her.

"No, I don't know why but he can't, and it's frustrating the hell out of him." She said with a grin that showed that she was amused even though her entire body language indicated how scared she was of someone finding out. "I'll tell you when we get back to the tower."

Tony didn't like that. Darcy used to think the Tower was her home but she called it the 'tower' now all the time and he needed to find a way to remedy to that.

"Darcy!" They heard someone yell from downstairs and just like that the woman was out of the bed in a flash running downstairs to Wade, whose voice Tony recognized.


	60. To care or not to care

**To care or not to care!**

Clint stayed very still waiting for everyone to follow a cheering Darcy out of the room. He still had no idea how she and Wade ended up being friends but he was pretty sure that it was the first sign of the apocalypse, or maybe not, maybe the first sign was Darcy being a Stark. What Clint knew for sur however was that Steve was frozen behind him. Not in a cold harsh Greenland way but in a 'every muscles in his body seemed to be locked and stuck so hard Clint could actually feel it against himself' kind of way.

As soon as the door closed behind Tasha, who seemed to have noticed too if the look she sent him was any tell and with her it was the only tell they find, Clint turned around to see what his boyfriend was freaking out about. Though he had a few ideas, starting with the woman they both loved running away from her pain once again. But Steve had other ideas, nice delectable ideas, mind him, but still not what Clint thought would happen.

As soon as he had turned around ready to talk, Steve's tongue was in his mouth. Again no complaints from him. Steve, as always, took over his hands roaming all over his body, lips soft and demanding pressing against his, he quickly moved to rest his massive body over Clint's. Steve's seemed to be paying extra attention to his ribs, from his entire hands pressing on to too gentle deftly fingers barely grazing his skin.

Clint loved it, and his entire body disagreed with what he was about to do but he couldn't leave both of his partners hide their feelings even if Steve's way of doing it was more pleasurable for him than Darcy constantly trying to get busy taking care of everyone around them or to drown herself into some new troubles, like running toward Wade for example.

"Steve" He said or more accurately moaned.

"Busy here, can't talk." Steve told him moving on to kissing his jaw then down to his neck.

"Steve." He complained trying not so efficiently to push his boyfriend away.

"Please Clint, I just need…" Steve told him but then rolled over sighing.

"I know what you need." Clint assured him. « I understand I promise." He said rolling over to half rest above Steve. "It's all of this." He said gesturing to the files that still layed around the bed surrounding them.

"No, not…" Steve started then stopped to kiss him again.

"Steve." Clint moaned loudly mostly out of pleasure but also meaning for Steve to get out of his mind again.

"It's this." Steve said running his hand over Clint's ribs. "You're all healed." He continued kissing the ribs staying above his shirt to do it but gently getting his hand under it.

"Yes! Thank you." Clint told him kissing the top of his head as it was the only part of Steve he had access to.

"I am glad Darcy did that." Steve told him.

"But?" Clint had to probe which was getting harder as Steve seemed intent on kissing every part of the healed body Clint was letting him access to.

"Nothing." Steve whispered into Clint's skin.

"You're not okay with what she did?" Clint asked and waited as Steve shook his head against his abs, his nose catching with his bellybutton making him shudder under Steve.

"If it puts her in danger than 'no' but it's not that." Steve confirmed after a few seconds. "I didn't want you to be healed." He finally admitted hugging Clint against him.

"Oh!" was all Clint could say for a while.

"It's not that I prefer for you to be injured or in pain." Steve told him quickly. "I like that you won't be in pain anymore."

"No, I get it." Clint said tugging on his hair so Steve would look up at him. "You liked the ideas that I would be safe at home with Darcy while you looked for Bucky."

Steve nodded against Clint's hip sighing deeply. "I know it's wrong." He admitted.

"Wrong? To want the people, you love to be safe when you're running around the world trying to find out what happened to the last person you fell in love with?" Clint asked not waiting for an answer. "Hey! If it helps I still have a partly broken leg. I'll have to ask Betty but I think the cast is going to stay for a couple of weeks."

Steve kept nodding his smile growing visibly.

"You run around the world to find Barnes and ruin HYDRA's plan and I'll take care of our girl and whatever all this is about." He said once again gesturing to the papers that surrounded them.

"Can't Tony deal with this one?" Steve asked groaning. "Her father should pitch in the crazy train from time to time. After all she is a Stark it goes with it." He said though his face and the fact that he was starting to kiss Clint again kind of showed that he didn't mean all of it. "I don't want to be half way around the world when she is going to drop, once more. I want to be there for her this time."

"That's what Quinjets are for." Clint told him. "She is going to avoid the reality of the situation as long as she can, running around on adrenaline high until she'll be snapping at everyone. But as soon as Fury gets back, or Tony finds who her biological parents are, she is going to drop again." He explained what they both knew already. "You don't want to be there for that, it's really awful when you're around in the one, barely there, moment where she is vulnerable and let us take care of her." He added carelessly ironic.

"Clint!" Steve chastised him swatting his hand on his thigh.

"Three options there. We push for it to happen sooner rather than later. We try to get her to find a healthier way to deal with it. Or…" Clint said letting it trail out.

"Or?" Steve probed.

"Or I could us that new and improved invention called a phone and Tony would be able, and happy, to fly you over to us in under a few hours from everywhere to cuddle with his little girl." Clint told him running his fingers in Steve's hair.

"It's not the same. I wasn't there last time. It hurt not to be able to help her." Steve admitted. "like when I was forced to stay away from you on our way back from London."

"You helped Stevie. You helped her get back to herself once we came back home, you were there, you found how to get her to touch other people again, you let the others see our Steve just so you could be there for her." Clint told him. "All I did was hold on to her as tightly as I could for 2 days."

"You know it's not all you did." Steve affirmed getting halfway up to look at him in the eyes. "You showed her she was loved and cared for. You do so much more for her just by doing that then any of us could. You two are tied together in so many ways it amazes me. All I did was get her to open herself to the others again. "

"See that's why she needs two of us." Clint told him only half joking. He knew none of them would be able to do what the other one does for their girl and Darcy showed them how important it was for her a couple of hours ago. She took a big risk to heal him, she did it out of love not caring for the consequences. She loved them both so much and Clint didn't need the bond to tell him that they both loved her just as much and someday he'll be able convince Steve of their love too

"You'll stay with her, right? While I'll go look for Bucky." Steve asked hugging him his nose brushing against the crook of his neck.

"I had no other plan. Someone burned my job to the ground." he told him chuckling when Steve groaned. "You know Darcy asked Sam to keep looking for him even without you?" At Steve's questioning look, he added. "That's what she asked in exchange for their little talk on the balcony."

"How do you…?" Steve mumbled.

"How do I know that?" Clint asked and Steve nodded. "I am a spy remember?"

"It's not surprising though." Steve said.

"And that's how I know." Clint told him.

They layed there for a few minutes just running lazy hands on each other. Clint knew it wouldn't stay that way, not this calm, they were literally surrounded by the awful things people they knew, people they had trusted with their livres and their hearts did to the woman they loved the most in the world. At some point, they'll have to deal with that themselves. Steve more than him, the man he loved will have to think about the fact that Darcy, their Darcy, was the result of Peggy and Fury's misconduct, that she was both the daughter and the grand-daughter of his old friend. Steve was better than him at compartmentalizing but Clint was worried that Darcy wouldn't be the only one the team ended up taking care off.

"We should get downstairs before Wade steals our girl." Clint finally said. Though he had no real fear of that ever happening but at the same time knowing that Deadpool knew her without more details was driving him crazy. He wanted to know how that terrifying friendship happened. The both of them would be able to create mayhem around them.

"He seems nice." Steve, nice Steve remarked.

"He is a crazy mercenary." Clint told him. "And those are the nicest words I ever heard to describe him."

"I have a thing for capable men." Steve told him, tugging him out of the bed.

"You're not even funny. And 'NO'." Clint said kissing Steve once again. "You 're not allowed to play with Wade." Clint told him chuckling.

"But Darcy can?" Steve asked faking a pout.

"Like any of us could tell her what to do." Clint said rolling his eyes.

"Well you seem to think you can do it with me." Steve told him.

"You're Captain America, you can't be fraternizing with a merc." Clint complained.

"I prefer marksmen, anyway." Steve told him kissing him deeply.

"Darcy." Clint mumbled in between kisses.

"Fine." Steve said not even stopping his kisses. "We should go find our girl. But you have to stop me if I start trying to comfort her."

"Only if she looks like she is going to kill you." Clint promises him, taking his crushes and opening the door.

"I'd rather support you." Steve told him taking away the crush that didn't support his casted side.

"Come on big man. You can carry me Princes style to the Elevator if you want to." Clint agreed kissing him deeply once again getting the weight of Steve's body against his to appreciate the small moment of vulnerability his lover was offering him.

Or at least until…

"Hey! Remember your girlfriend? Long black hair, blue eyes and other things I won't say about my daughter but I am sure you appreciate?" Tony asked from the top of stairs.

"What do you want Tony?" Steve groaned having the same effect on Clint, that deep tone of voice Steve took when groaning, mostly meaning that Clint tucked a finger in his belt loop to get him even closer to him.

"Interesting reaction there Hawkboy." Tony told him. Clint looked over Steve's shoulder to see Tony leering at them his pupils slightly dilated. "I have no problem with the man on man action but this is a school so maybe keep the kinky stuff for your room."

"Daughter's boyfriends here, remember?" Clint asked him grinning when Tony shuddered instinctively.

"So? She looks at Pepper too." Tony admitted with a smirk. "Plus she is totally playing cute with Deadpool downstairs. Maybe you'll want to focus on that."

"So she is being a Stark?" Steve asked him with a smirk of his own. "Looks like a job for you."

"Useless boys." Tony muttered taking the steps back down.

"we're getting down to get her away from Wade, right?" Clint asked wondering if they would really let Tony deal with that one.

"I am tempted to leave you to the elevator and run down the stairs. Or maybe even jump them all together." Steve admitted.

"We're good boyfriends." Clint told him taking the time to kiss him one last time even though the cart had arrived.

"The bests." Someone said from behind Steve and they both looked up to see Darcy smiling at them. "FYI, Wade is not a threat and even if he was not just flirting for fun, Vanessa came too" she assured them.

"Vanessa?" Steve asked opening his arms so Darcy could snuggle with them.

"Wade's girlfriend, she is a good friend of mine and I came up here to make sure your 40's sensibilities wouldn't say something offensive to her." Darcy announced.

"Why would I do that?" Steve asked raising an eyebrow at her. "I thought you cured me of all that last century philosophy."

"She is a striper, by choice, she loves her job." Darcy told him, and only him, because Clint knew the couple well before Vanessa gave up being a prostitute.

"She taught you that thing you did when you were in London?" Steve asked and was once more totally lost in lust. Darcy just nodded a large smile on her face. "We should Thank her then." Steve affirmed.

"Lift up your shirts, your two sets of abs should be more than enough." Darcy told them giggling.

"Can't!" Steve objected. "Clint doesn't want me to play with Wade." He explained pouting.

"Yeah! He is right." Darcy told him kissing he cheek gently before getting them into the elevator.

"Looks like an uneven situation." Steve complained.

"You're getting to go after the love of your life, who recently tried to kill you. You're not allowed to play with other dangerous people." Darcy told him and Clint looked at the choc on Steve's face, he seemed to have trouble answering that last comment.

Clint pushed the emergency button of the elevator. This wasn't something they could let go of.

"Darce, don't…" He started to say but the young woman looked up at him like she really had no idea of why he did all that. He tugged her in against himself.

"Darce. Bucky was my best friend, and my brother at a time where friendship was rare, and I was short on family, falling for him was easy, it helped me through a phase where being who I was as a sick kid attracted to both sex I had no hope to attract other people anyway…" Clint was about to say he was wrong he loved his personality not all the muscles and invulnerability but Steve put a hand over his mouth looking right up at him. "Both of them Bucky and Peggy, I loved them for all I was back then, for the little man they could still see and like in me. But I changed and this… What we have between us…" He said pausing to get close enough to kiss either of them. "This is who I am, who I chose to share it with, and I am very happy with the both of you. I had a really long life, I've seen things I never thought I'd see. And the only thing that amazes me, in this century, is that you two can love me."

Steve kissed Clint and then Darcy. "The both of you are the love of my life." He told them in a tone that left no room for arguments.

"Okay, but Bucky is still a member of our family. So finding him, once we're done here, is still the top priority." Darcy told him pushing the emergency button starting the elevator again.

Steve and Clint looked at each other above Darcy's head. They had another priority to had to that list one but there were two of them and two priorities to deal with, they needed to trust that the other will do good with their tasks.


	61. Normal is a forbidden word

**Normal is a forbidden word.**

Logan knew how Wade met Darcy, though he seemed to be the only one around with that Intel, and it was only because for some freak reason the guy always seemed to want to drag him into his mess and so he made a point of always knowing where Deadpool was and who he befriended. Darcy was no exception, though at the time he had thought she was just an unimportant human, and God was he wrong.

She seemed to be frail and fragile, like a little bird needing protection, or at least it was what people who only looked at her could think. But the reality of the young woman was something else all-together. Logan had been living at the mansion from quite some time by now, he had seen the kids that were running around aimlessly when he first got in, become dedicated adults who helped the youngest students without ever failing, but this girl she was different, she never looked scared, like new comers sometimes do, or at least not for herself.

What Pipper had done, and what she was probably being yelled had and grounded for as he waited for the elevator to come down, would have send any of their student into a guilt trip for hurting his partners, and teachers, and they would have to work hard for them to try again. Darcy, though, she took 10 minutes to learn about something even scarier she could do, and went right back to it, achieving not only what they had asked of her but making her stronger than they had thought possible.

She had impressed the others as well, he knew it, and he had to admit it, he was amused by the inability Charles had to read her mind, it was something he had only rarely seen and he didn't think it was coming from the shield that protected her, since he had still been able to read Susan Reed's mind even with her own shield in place, but that wasn't something he was planning on explaining to anyone but the concerned girl.

He was listening amused as Steve was explaining how his longtime friend wouldn't change anything to their relationship, before they let the elevator back down. Having enhanced hearing sometimes helped, mostly it just led to weird encounters though.

But it wasn't the only enhanced power he had, although his contrary to the Captain's one where natural, engraved in his DNA coding, and he wondered when Charles first explained, how Steve Rogers came to become Captain America if this DR Erskine ever had access to his or Victor's DNA but even if it happened Logan wouldn't remember it.

The girl, she smelled, not wrong exactly, just different, like something he should remember but was still blocked out, lost in his brain, he knew everyone scents, part of them being animals he had thought when he had seen Victor tracking a prey by sniffing them across 10 states before he gave up. The new arrivals had overwhelmed him, in a way, not because their scents were too strong, but because they all seemed to mingle, it tended to happen to people who lived together for too long.

He had lied to Natasha though, Steve hadn't sent him to keep an eye on them back when they first arrived, he had followed something that was like a beacon to him, only to find Darcy and Natasha fighting. It was once they had been seated in the park, that he realized what it was. He knew Natasha and Clint, had time to familiarize himself with Tony when Agent Coulson had come to ask him if he would help find the genius in the desert, he had never met Dr Banner, but he had cross path with Hulk enough to recognize the smell of the beast hidden in the man's scent, Steve wasn't smelling like anything, not that it was really surprising.

Darcy though, she seemed to be covered in a harmony of them all, but not hidden like Hulk and Bruce could be, she literally smelled like a mix of them all on her own, them and something else he was missing, something earthy, that little something he couldn't identify, that made her different from them, but also different from the mutants around them.

"You know we could let Tony deal with Wade and go back up to our room." He heard Steve suggest as the doors of the Elevator opened.

And okay to be fair Charles had told them to express their love in front of the kids, but he was pretty sure he didn't mean for it to go this far, the adults couples around the mansion tended to be a tad more discreet, not that they were doing anything other than holding on to each others while Steve kissed Clint but it still stirred something strange in the pit of Logan's stomach.

"It's the unicorn effect." Natasha said from next to him, and he was so used to her appearing from nowhere he didn't even react.

"You should really help me get rid of it." He told her with a smirk, sure that at some point in the week she would end up in his room in the middle of the night as she usually did when sleeping at the mansion, he just hoped to speed up the process. But looking at her, she looked torn at the idea of taking him up on his offer. "I see." He said but she just walked to the elevator Cart to keep it open.

"Dinner is ready, people." She said and walked away to the dining room.

"Logan!" Darcy yelped at him. "Save me from the kissing monsters." She asked reaching out to him, he went and tugged her away from her boyfriends.

It was weird to see how close he had gotten to this girl so quickly, though everyone around them seemed to be on the same page, Logan was proud of being a scruffy guy who would need time to warm up to new people, but not Darcy, she was definitely something else.

"Damn. That feels like a betrayal Hawkeye. If I had known your ass was open for business I would have tapped that a long time ago." He heard Wade say behind him and looked as Steve growled tightening his grip on his boyfriend. Maybe Erskine did put a little of Logan in the serum after all, he thought to himself, before laughing at them.

"Wade, don't make me ask Vanessa to punish you." Darcy snapped at him.

"Hum…" Wade hummed pensively before pointing at the boys who just got out of the cart. "They yours?"

"Yep." Darcy answered proudly.

"Then I said nothing, there are enough fine asses around here for me to look at without playing with yours." He told her and for a brief moment Logan wondered if Darcy superpower wasn't to tamer Wade.

"Reminds me, I met one extraordinary one, at the Tower…" Wade kept going while they came into the dining room.

"You went by the Tower?" Darcy asked which proved she knew Wade better than the other who seemed still stuck on the ass part.

"Well yeah, do you know how much they are worth?" He asked gesturing to the Avengers. "It's going to attract all kind of weirdos to your neighborhoods." Wade explained with round eyes, stopping only to kiss Vanessa as if he was a starving man and she was the only food around.

Logan smirked when he saw Clint trying to cover Darcy's eyes for her not to see the show they were putting on.

"I lived across the hall from them for a year." She told him giggling. "I saw way worst than that."

Everyone started to take place around the table trying to avoid pairing the couples together for all their sake and that's how Logan ended up sitting in between Wade and Darcy, with their partners in front of them.

"Wait!" Darcy said as Wade was about to put a fork full of ground beef in his mouth and finally shut up, which make Logan glare at Darcy who just shrugged. She was about as afraid of him as she would a kitten, which was a first for him, even Rogue had been a little scared at first.

"You didn't tell me what you were doing at the tower." She told him and got everyone's attention to them.

"Told you I was chasing hot ass." He told her waving her off.

"No, you said you met a hot ass, that's not the same." Darcy probed.

"Well since Cap, here, crashed DC, Hydra's been calling Sister Margaret day and night to find someone who would take a shot at killing the Avengers for them." Wade started and at the stunt silence around them took the time to explain. "Off course only bad guys agreed."

"Because Sister Margaret is full of good guys." Stark mumbled and they all looked at him. "What? Yes, I know the place, it's were Stane hired the Ten Rings." He explained raising his hands in a peace gesture.

"Doesn't mean we're all bad." Wade defended.

"Wade are you the one who got rid of our Hydra tail?" Darcy asked him, getting back to the main subject.

"So that's kind of an unfair question. Because on one hand Yes I totally did that they were crowding the place like bugs. But on the other hand I didn't kill all of them. Some were already dead when I came, Hot Ass did most of the job." He said with a dreamy look that had even Vanessa sneaker.

"Made an impression on you." Clint pointed out.

"Tell me about it, all the way from Chicago to here it's been, Hot Ass this, Hot Ass that, I had to stop to blow him twice and apparently it's still not enough." Vanessa informed them.

Logan had always liked Vanessa, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, she never cared how much more dangerous the people around her could be and she was grounding Wade like no one ever could. Plus, and that was only an added benefice, she was worst at swearing than he was.

"If you had seen his ass you would agree with me." Wade told Vanessa who rolled her eyes making it look like it was not the first time.

"Yeah, I know he had an ass you wanted to bite in for hours, beautiful focused blue eyes, he shot you in the heart, quite literally I might add, and yet all you talked about after you stop bleeding all over my car was his drool worthy metal arm…" Vanessa complained but stopped when she as well as the others around the table, heard the collective gasp from the Avengers.

"Tony!" Steve shot out.

"Yeah on it. But I only have my phone in here." He said sounding frustrated.

"No you don't." Darcy told him and everyone looked at her.

"I know it's important but I doubt Barnes is still there I am not going to get in the suit in the middle of dinner." Tony protested.

"Not what I meant." Darcy sighed before touching her ear. "Buddy, Tony has a mission for you." She said and looked to the door, Logan following her gaze to find at the end of the table Kitty and Hunter laughing at them. Apparently Kitty had spent a lot of time with the little robot to know why Darcy was half irritated half smirking proudly.

"But Buddy isn't…' Tony started and Darcy glared at him making him stop.

When the bot entered he had a few more drawings on him making him look more like hippie than a protection guard.

"Oh man, I knew those kids were delinquents, they did that to you?" Wade asked as the robot went to Darcy's side to be petted.

Buddy looked up at him strangely before flying over to him to scan him.

"Buddy!" Darcy chastised him like she did when he scanned Kitty upon their arrival.

"He scanned everyone in the mansion, I think it's his knew protocol." Hunter informed them.

"It tickles." Wade said giggling for the fun of it, humoring the robot when it started poking at his ribs.

"You should have seen the face he made after he scanned Logan." Hunter told them. "I thought for sure he was going to hug him when he realized how much metal he has inside."

Logan caught himself patting the robot's head upon hearing that before he shook himself out of it. Wade must had seen the scratch marks over the tiny body this close because he changed his stance on the tagging.

"Tattoos to cover the scars? Not a bad idea. Those little delinquents are quite talented." He told him.

"Buddy." Darcy called and the bot left Wade to fly back to her. "Wade saw Bucky with the bad guys outside the tower…" She looked up at Wade who old three fingers up. "Three days ago…" She said hesitantly but Vanessa nodded and Darcy smiled in thanks. "Can you and _J_ see if you can find him? And follow him for as long as you can then come back and tell it to Steve?" Darcy asked him and the bot biped solemnly before fly back out of the room.

"You sure about…" Stark started to asked but once again a glare made him shut up "Where did he even go?"

"Our room." Darcy answered as if it was a stupid question. "Look Buddy as a direct connection to _J_ , he knows what I want him to find, he knows how important it is, and not even you can hack him so it's the safest way. Plus, you need to eat." She explained pushing a full plate closer to Stark.

"Why can I hack him?" Stark asked seeming curious.

"Because I told him not to let you do it." Darcy said with a shrug keeping her focus on her own plate missing the look of awe from almost all the people around her. Or maybe not missing so much of it as Logan saw her shoulders starting to hunch on herself as if trying to hide away from the attention.

"I thought you said and I quote, 'I will never step foot in Xavier's mansion, it's a cult to his boldness full of un-suspectful kids and over paid super mutants where he grows minions out of having fun?" Darcy asked Wade to get the attention away from her.

"I missed Logan." Wade answer with a grin and leaning to kiss Logan's cheek.

"If you touch me I will cut your lips out." Logan grunted.

"Why punish Vanessa for something I did?" Wade asked pouting but Vanessa shrugged and looked around. "I am pretty sure I can find someone else to have fun with while you heal."

"Please choose Natasha! Please choose Natasha!" Wade said like a quick prayer.

"Who said we would let you watch?" Natasha retoured and Wade whined though from the sound reverbing around the table he wasn't the only one but at least it made everyone laugh.

"I heard you caught Francis. Good for you." Darcy kept going in between bites.

"Yeah I am pretty proud of myself" Wade told her smiling. "But I kind of need a place to crash and that's why I was on my way back to the tower, after my heart healed, to deliver mail when I learned you were here."

"No!" Tony exclaimed "The crazy at the tower is at capacity."

Darcy rolled his eyes at him, because let's face even Logan knew that most of the crazy was coming from him.

"you can't stay with us Wade, it's not safe every possible agency has at least one spy on the premises, plus the media never goes away." Darcy explained in a politer manner.

"So I noticed" he mumbled though Darcy heard him just fine.

"About that, how did you find us?" Steve asked.

"I asked?" Wade answered sounding unsure of what the Captain wanted to know.

"Asked who, Wade?" Clint probed.

"I don't think you all stopped to consider how important the bounty for your death and or possible alive with pending extensive testing situation, are." He told them quirking an eyebrow. "Everyone knows where you are at all time."

"You knew about…" Darcy started but stopped herself.

"Why do you think I was at the Tower three days ago, sweetheart?" Wade asked and Darcy smiled. "As I said before I am quite fond of Clint's ass would have been messy to let HYDRA kill it. But then we saw the Quinjet leave and Hot Ass shot me, by the time I had enough blood to my brain to think the England cell had been taken care off, as well as the ones around me, and Hot Ass was nowhere in sight so I went back to get Vanessa, and in the mail box we had the letter."

"Okay." Darcy and the others said all at once, before getting back to their meal.

"Normal people would say Thank You." Wade pipped up pouting but Natasha grinned at him.

"No one is normal in here." She told him and everyone agreed.


	62. Puzzle Pieces

**Puzzle pieces.**

Dinner and the little party, well light party, mostly talking between themselves, but when there are so many people involved it's still called a party according to Tony, went well. Wade explained who was after them and how much they were ready to pay, while Darcy, Vanessa and Natasha had drinks observing the others and gossiping about Darcy's polyamorous relationship.

Darcy was a little tipsy when they went back up, and she didn't remember much else than making out with the boys, so she was pretty sure when she fell asleep they kept making out without her, which made her little heart swell, she loved them so much. They cuddled for a while upon waking up before someone knocked at their door to get them downstairs for breakfast.

Buddy sent Steve and Darcy all the Intel he had found that night. Bucky had come to the Tower, just as they went back to it, the day after the DC events, then he went away when Steve and Sam got in. JARVIS had managed to confirm that Bucky went back to DC to take a look at the Smithsonian exposition, but he was back at the tower before the night settled just as Wade had told them, taking out the Hydra spy around the tower, then he stayed there until the Quinjet came back from London with Clint and Hunter on board. According to JARVIS, Bucky left the second the jet touched down.

Steve was confused, part of him seemed to hope that he was trying to reach out to them, part of him was scared that he was only gathering intel to finish his mission. Clint on the other hand seemed to think Bucky was there to protect them from HYDRA, not that he would ever say so out loud and risk hurting Steve even more. Darcy tended to agree with Clint, Bucky had been here every time Steve had been away and he came back that night probably for the same reason Wade did, he heard about Clint, and came to maybe, not help since he didn't get inside the Tower but hover, maybe get a sense of what the Avengers would do with the knowledge that one of them had been kidnapped, and then when he saw that they were going after him instead of abandoning him, he stayed to look after the people everyone who had heard about the tower knew were still there, civilians.

It was the third day and Darcy was getting used to this routine already, after breakfast she went to find her day guardian, but Hunter was nowhere to find. She hunted him down the 5 upper floors of the mansion, went to the classrooms, to the breakfast room where some of the older kids were just finishing up their meal, but she couldn't find him. Finally, as she was about to give up she caught sight of him, sitting on a bench in the garden.

"Lance?" She said gently when she sat next to him and after a few rounds of 'Hunter' had no effect on him.

"Hum?" He answered not really looking at her.

"I've been looking for you. What did you plan for me today?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said but he sounded reluctant.

"You're going to give up on me?" She asked, knowing full well he would never do that but she wanted to get a reaction out of him.

"What? No." Hunter said suddenly turning toward her. "I'm not… I mean, NO. Today I'll train with the others." He told her in a tone that in theory didn't leave any space for argument, but she wouldn't be Darcy Lewis if she was letting him get off his duties that easy.

"Ouch, that hurts." She told him putting a hand over her heart and a fake pout on her lips. "Here I thought you would want to protect little old me from all those evil children in there." She sighed. "But I guess at some point I have to grow up and learn to face the devil on my own." She said raising up ready to walk away.

"But Piper and…" Hunter started and she stopped him shrugging. "It happens; it's not like you planned it."

"Just I know you were uncomfortable with her already in the morning, I don't get why you let her touch you, or why you asked her to help in the afternoon." Hunter said tugging her back to sit on the bench.

"I didn't trust her, but I trusted you, I knew you would stop her if she did anything dangerous. And, well not you, but people did in the training room, we were not alone in there. For the part about letting her help, you heard what she said she is one of a kind, I needed her powers to find something whether I liked it or not." She explained, it was true and she wasn't sure either the spies, the soldiers or the geniuses in her life could tell her they only worked with people they adored.

Hunter didn't say anything for a while so Darcy bumped him back into reality.

"We only have a week, and only 4 days left, we don't have time to vet people and find the perfect match, the only thing we can do is try." Darcy told him with a smile.

"You have to promise to tell me if your uncomfortable with one of them again." He said and she agreed, she didn't long for a repeat of the previous day either.

"I was thinking about spending the morning with Rogue, you want to join us?" She asked before adding. "She already agreed for you to stay with us."

"Yeah! Hum! Yeah, I want to." Hunter admitting getting up.

"You're going to tell me what's wrong?" Darcy probed while they walked back to the house.

"I just…" He started and then stopped, turning her toward him. "Look I know you trust me. But yesterday I knew you were uncomfortable and I thought it was because you were with me instead of the others and not really because of Piper and what she was doing."

"I don't blame you for anything you know?" Darcy told him.

"Yeah, I know you told me already." He said with the first smile she had seen on him that morning. She knew what he was talking about too, she had fun getting dirty thoughts to Tony while they experimented on her bond, but to Hunter, she sent reassuring, calming thought, something that she had hoped would tell him he wasn't responsible for choosing Piper for them to talk to.

"I am just thinking maybe… You seem to be good friend with Wade, he knows you better, and he would be able to protect you better, maybe you should…" He started babbling but Darcy put a hand over his mouth so he would stop.

"He doesn't know about any of it." She told him and she waited until she saw the moment it clicked into his brain. "And you're back with me." She affirmed but he still nodded. "I don't care that no one would be able to kill Wade, that he could protect me and everything else you said. Wade and Vanessa, they know some of it, just enough so we could talk in front of them, but none of the details and not just because I hadn't really talk to them since Loki and the Chitauri. I know it looks like it because I am pretty easy with people, and I make friends quickly, but it doesn't mean I have to trust everyone with this. No one has all the pieces of the puzzle but me."

"You trust me?" Hunter asked looking slightly too doubtful for someone she liked so much.

"You're part of the family." She said, hugging him and leaving a kiss on his cheek. "Now can we go? Rogue is waiting." She told him and Hunter chuckled nodding on top of her head. "And this afternoon it's therapy with Charles."

"So I'll go train with the others again, that's fine by me." Hunter told her.

"You're an idiot." She sighed and Hunter stopped once again looking at her like he had no idea why she said that. "You're straying with me, I told you no one has all the pieces, I need to make sure someone is there to distract him when he asks something I don't want to give the answer to. And it can't be someone who would know the answer or he'd just have to read their mind."

"You're kind of scary." Hunter told her.

"I keep telling people that, but no one believes me." She said with a bright smile.

They walked back to the mansion, joking with each other and were met with Rogue and Logan before they got at the door.

Darcy looked Logan up and down and smile.

"Afraid I might hurt her?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Rogue can take care of herself." He answered before adding "I am here so she can demonstrate on me." He said and nodded toward Hunter.

"He is here to make sure I don't spend the next hours gossiping with Rogue but actually working." She said shrugging. Although it was the reason why they had brought Hunter with them to begin with, they all knew it wasn't the only reason she kept dragging him everywhere, just as she knew Logan was here to observe her, he hadn't been that discreet about it since their talk with Tasha.

"If you're done with the dick measuring contest?" Rogue asked but didn't wait for an answer, "I thought we could stay outside it's sunny and just warm enough." She explained giving Darcy a jacket Steve and Clint must have trusted her with.

"There was no contest, Logan's is bigger than mine." Darcy couldn't help herself to add while she was shrugging her sweater on.

"Darcy!" Hunter chastised her.

"What? It has to be true." She said grinning.

"Can you just walk and shut up?" He asked her.

"I thought we were supposed to talk?" She told him smirking.

"I don't remember why I like you." Hunter finally sighed pushing her gently toward the other two.

They went to the far end of the mansion's garden, which took enough time for Darcy to caught Logan looking at her more than Steve and Clint tended to do when they were not attached to her. Well that was one more thing to put on her list of stuff to deal with.

"So how do you want to proceed?" Rogue asked seating herself on the bench under a tree that was waiting for them out there.

"Well usually she asks how your power works while she plans something stupid and dangerous to do." Hunter deadpanned.

"It's not 'usually' when it only happened once." Darcy told him sticking her tongue out.

"I could explain how it works though but nothing dangerous will happen." Rogue told the both of them.

"I want to know something first." Darcy interrupted them.

"If it's why I am here I am not going to tell you." Logan growled sitting next to them.

"No, Kitten. I don't care about that." She told him rolling her eyes when Logan groaned at being called Kitten making Rogue and Hunter laugh. "I was wondering I live with the Avengers, socialize with the Fantastic Four enough to not strangle Johnny in his sleep…" She said and waited for them to stop agreeing. "I guess I wanted to ask, why are you all using your code names in the day to day life?"

"I don't…" Rogue started so Darcy explained.

"Well you are Rogue and at the tower we are hosting Storm and Angel. Steve, Tony, Clint, and Tasha they don't like it when I call them by their code name when we are home, and I don't recommend calling Ben, the Thing, unless you want to test out your healing or flying abilities."

"I didn't want to be Mary anymore after I left my parents." Rogue explained. "I know Bobby still likes to be called Bobby, but Pyro and Kitty prefer their code names. Mystic has some theory saying that our code names are our freedom names, and the names our parents gave us are our slaves names because we have to hide who we are under them."

"Oh okay." Darcy said and everyone looked at her doubtful. "What? It's simple enough. At home the Avengers want to be themselves and not their costumes, but here their birth names are the costumes they want to leave at the door. They just feel more like themselves when they are Rogue, Pyro, Kitty, Mystic or Magneto."

"Is there something else you want to know before we begin?" Rogue asked her.

"Nope I am good. Anyone else have questions?" She offered and then turned to Logan. "Not that one." She told him thinking he would ask something along the line of Tasha questioning line or about anything she wouldn't want to answer anyhow plus it was fun to see him wonder if she had read his mind.

"My powers?" Rogue offered and Darcy nodded making herself comfortable leaning on Hunter who just shrugged and put his arms around her. She knew she had promised nothing dangerous would happen but he was so tense that he was making her nervous. She thought that if she could extend the shield just to him he would certainly relax a little, and it seemed to work when after a few second he hugged her tighter and kissed her temple making her smile.

Logan looked at them for a long while and Darcy let him do it waiting for him to make a decision to either trust that she wasn't doing anything that would hurt her boyfriends or to decide that what made him twitchy about Darcy made him want to hurt her. When finally, Logan sat down next to them nodding at Darcy she got herself a little away from Hunter to put a kiss on Logan's cheek whispering 'Thank you' in his ear.

"I saw you touch the flowers in the garden." Darcy told Rogue, "so I guess it doesn't work on vegetal."

"No, and apparently it doesn't work on pets either, I used to have a dog and I petted him all the time." Rogue explained. "But the Professors can't seem to find out why."

"Tony called you an X-gene borrower." Hunter intervened.

"I guess it's what I do. I catalyze the human energy. When you're only human it means the beating of your heart; the electricity that allows your neurons to interact together. First time I kissed a boy he was in a coma for 2 weeks." Rogue explained matter-of-factly as if used to being asked.

"But when you're facing a mutant?" Darcy probed.

"My power goes for theirs first before it runs interference with the human system." Rogue said getting her gloves off. "Logan?" She asked and he didn't even move. "Logan we talked about this." She insisted but he still didn't move.

"What's going on here?" Darcy asked them though she could guess the answer, Rogue wanted Logan to hurt her so she would be able use his power to heal herself.

"You know what nothing. Hunter give me your knife please." Rogue asked and Hunter looked between Darcy, Logan and Rogue for a long while.

Darcy shifted only slightly closer to Hunter not even an inch just to remind him of the shield and of the fact that she had his back. She was okay with what Rogue wanted to do after all the young woman hadn't blamed her when things went wrong the previous day, they needed to experiment to be better.

Hunter followed Darcy's lead and gave the knife tucked in his right shoes to Rogue, looking sideways at Logan to be sure he wouldn't be beheaded for it.

Rogue didn't waste a second, clearly not wanting for Logan to object, and she cut her palm with the knife making Hunter shiver and Darcy grin. Now Logan didn't have a choice they were too far away from the house to just go for a first aid kit.

"I hate when you do that." Logan told her sitting next to her and giving her his hand.

"It's just a little cut." Rogue told him she hold out her palm for Darcy and Hunter to see and took Logan's hand in her other side.

Darcy watched as the cut in Rogue's hand started to recede and then disappeared completely. But it wasn't all she saw, next to her a cut appeared on Logan's cheek then disappeared as soon as Rogue released him.

"It's different from Tasha." Darcy whispered but the others had heard. "When she is injured the same injuries appear on my body. But that's not what happened." She explained what she meant.

"No I am not transferring my injuries to him but as I borrow his healing power some of his old injuries come back. The more his power as to heal on me the more injuries are going to appear on him." Rogue explained before adding, "but that's specific to Logan, Pyro had told me he feels as cold as when Bobby ice him out when I touch him, sucking the warmness out of him. Kitty just loose her power while I touch her but I have them and I can get her through everything to it's not really useful."

"Yeah, I can imagine." Darcy said laughing, imagining Kitty and Rogue taking turns pushing each other through walls.

"I have some troubles with more experienced people like Professor Xavier or Magneto, they require too much energy from me to actually use their powers the same way they do for a long expense of time." Rogue kept explaining.

"Did you ever try to transfer it?" Darcy asked and from the look of the people around them she had to explain further. "If Kitty was hurt can you touch Logan and Kitty at the same time and cure Kitty?" Darcy asked with a more concrete subject.

"Is that what happened to Clint?" Logan asked and Darcy winced. Maybe she could have waited to be back at the Tower to do it. She guessed her reaction was enough because Rogue answered her instead of waiting for Darcy to tell them something she clearly didn't want to divulge.

"I tried several time but it never worked." Rogue admitted with a sad smile.

"Maybe you could try it on me?" Darcy suggested only to be answered by three loud NO. "Okay, fine. But I actually already asked Tasha and Hulk so we could do it." Darcy explained.

"You asked them before coming here?" Rogue asked curiously.

"Well, yes, I didn't want to risk Hulk coming after you if I convinced you to do my biding. Or Tasha." Darcy amended.

"What is it you want me to do?" Rogue asked her.

"Just what you did last time, touch me." Darcy told her, although she could feel that no one around her had believed her.

"And what else?" Rogued insisted.

"I haven't decided yet." Darcy told her with a smirk. "Come on I promise nothing dangerous." She said reaching out for Rogue's hands.

"Fine." Rogue said taking Darcy's hand in hers.

Darcy could feel her need to pull out almost immediately but when Darcy didn't start to twitch in pain Rogue calmed down a little.

"It's strange to be able to touch you. I haven't touch anyone without risking to kill them in years." Rogue told her, once again fascinated by their joined hands.

"I am going to try something. Can I?" Darcy asked but didn't give them any explanation. She hadn't lied to Hunter, since she had started to test the bonds with Jane in her lab at the Avengers' tower, she had been keeping part of the puzzle for herself, well, if she was honest she had always done it to protect her mom, or herself, but she would share with the others as promised, just not now.

"What do you want to do?" Logan asked since Rogue was still in her little world.

"It's not going to hurt any of us, but I can't explain it before hand, I know how that goes, and whether it's from apprehension or expectation it tends to block the process." Darcy told him, adding, "Please."

Logan nodded his accent so she looked over at Hunter who nodded as well.

"Rogue?" But the young woman didn't answer her. "Mary!" Darcy tried and Rogue looked up at her, nodding as well.

Darcy closed her eyes not that she really needed it but she needed to not look at the worried look they could and would possibly give her. She took a deep breath, hold on to Rogue's hand a little tighter and connected Hulk to Tasha. To be fair she had told them it would happen. Or to be honest she had told Hulk she wanted him to look after Tasha today as a test and she told Tasha that if she really was serious about taking over in the battlefield she had to prove she could handle Hulk. What is it they say 'two birds with one stone' well she was going for three birds after all it was the Stark way.

She wanted to know if disconnected from the others, from the Avengers, the stones would keep her safe from getting hurt and she guessed the best and fastest way to do it was Rogue, her touch would hurt as soon as she would disconnect Hulk and she could get him back quickly if needed.

So she lied it was dangerous, a little, but she was going to be careful.

She went through the process she was starting to get used to, linking Hulk to Tasha, the trickiest part was to separate them from herself, she needed to make sure they wouldn't feel it, while making sure the stones would know. She chose the safest way. Closing all ties to them completely the way she had done with Clint and Phil for a long time.

For a second, a very long hurtful second, everything went cold and hurt. She felt like she was falling although the shield, still surrounding Hunter next her, allowed her not to feel alone. It only took a second for her to feel Aether trying to pull out Rogue's finger out of her hand, for Tess's shield to try and send her away, only a second for something she had never felt before to protect her from Rogue. She wasn't hurt, she was safe, as safe as she had ever felt and she still had the young woman's hand in hers.

She wouldn't take the time to know what happened right now, she had her answer and it was enough. She wouldn't put anyone in danger or risk any of them to notice what she had done and blamed her for it. Darcy connected herself back to the Avengers back to Tasha and Hulk separating them before she looked around herself, picking with one eye at first only to be met with angry stares.

"Inside Darcy, right now!" Hunter yelled at her making her jump away from him. "Now!" He insisted and she looked at the other two hoping for an explanation.

Finding none, she started to walk away following Hunter's order as she had promised him she would, even though he had stayed with the other two.

"That was amazing." She heard Rogue say before she was too far from them.

She had been amused by that remark up until she fell down on her knees, tired, and even more than that she was exhausted, she couldn't breathe right, she needed to sit down to… She needed Clint.


	63. Pepper's insight

**Pepper** **'** **s insight**

Pepper arrived at the mansion just in time to see Darcy collapse in the garden. She wasn't supposed to be here and she was pretty sure they would all yell at her for interrupting their experiments but there were things she needed to say, things she needed to be there for and apparently she had chosen the right time to do it.

It wasn't her first time at the mansion she came several time when she was Tony's assistant, and when she saw Logan and Hunter running to catch Darcy she felt both scared and reassured. She waited for them to bring her close to ask them what happened.

"She said she wanted to try something but she didn't tell us what it was, she was okay when she left us and…" Hunter started but stopped suddenly, looking both guilty and worried.

"It's okay she just looks asleep." Pepper assured him. She looked over their shoulders as Rogue came closer to them. She could guess what had happened, but she knew Mary was really prudent with her powers, never touching anyone without a good reason. "Rogue, can you go get the Avengers, please?" She asked politely, following the men toward the mansion. "Get her in her room."

Everyone followed her orders and, as soon as Darcy was on her bed, Pepper sent Logan and Hunter away, telling them to keep the Avengers out of the room until she agreed to let them in. She pushed the covers up on Darcy's shivering body and layed down next to her.

"Honey?" She asked gently bopping Darcy's nose with her finger wanting to wake her gently.

"Pepper?" Darcy asked not really there yet.

"I thought I'd come yell at Tony for being an idiot myself, and as soon as I get here, I find you in danger." Pepper told her trying really hard not to put any judgment in her voice.

"It's the Stark way." Darcy mumbled sleepily.

Pepper sighed heavily but smiled. Tony had called to informed her of the latest development in that specific department. She had been proud to hear him being able to talk about it without a drink in hands or without waiting until it was too late to do anything about it but it didn't mean she wanted to wait until she had to go back to work to be able to talk about it.

"Are you okay?" She asked because she needed to know before she get into Mother hen mod and yelled at people.

"Need Clint." Darcy admitter surprising Pepper as the young girl never asked for anything for herself. Pepper leaned down to kiss the top of her head before going for the door. "And Steve." Darcy added in a whisper, not that Pepper would have sent one without the other anyway but she remembered the girl's reaction that first night at the tower and how Clint had been the only one able to calm her down.

"Coming up right away!" Pepper said cheerfully before getting out of the bedroom to be faced with most of the Avengers, anxious Avengers.

"She is asking for the two of you." Pepper told Clint and Steve, letting them pass behind her, taking the time to eye Clint from head to toe sighing heavily once again but against all urge she didn't ask what happened. "Not so fast." She said after Steve and Clint had closed the door behind themselves leaving her with the rest of the team. "I want to know what happened."

She watched as they all looked at each other, before settling on glaring at Logan and Hunter who took a step away from them.

"We did nothing wrong." Logan told them before Rogue who was just now joining them with a freshly de-Hulk Bruce added "It's true we didn't do anything wrong."

"Then what happened?" Pepper insisted.

"Darcy she asked how my powers work…" Rogue started to explain. "She said it was safe to touch her again and I kind of wanted to, it had been so long since I touched someone without them getting hurt." She continued and Logan hugged her, taking care of not touching any part of her skin, certainly making the matter worst right now.

"We let them do it because she promised it wouldn't put them in any danger." Hunter said pointing at both Logan and himself. "And then she… I swear she was fine when I sent her back here."

Pepper tried really hard not to roll her eyes at that, neither Hunter or Logan had enough experience with Darcy to be the judge of that but it wasn't their fault.

"She…" Rogue started and stopped herself briefly shaking her head. "While she was touching me, she was in pain, it was only for a second and I felt something trying to push me away but she just held on me tighter, I don't really know how to explain it…" Rogue admitted.

"She was glowing." Hunter provided. "Or not her but around her, and not just with the shield, I've seen it yesterday it was all blue, this was different."

"I am going to kill her." Natasha stated before going for the door.

Natasha stopped and they all looked as the couple on the bed was whispering to each other, Darcy still not quite there but smiling at them holding on tightly to Clint while brushing her fingers through Steve's.

"Darce?" Natasha asked calmly.

And Darcy hummed padding the bed between her legs and Steve's for her to seat on.

"You lied to me." She told her.

"No one has all the pieces of the puzzle but me." Darcy explained but when Natasha didn't say anything waiting for an explanation she shuddered before adding "Not lied, just not told you everything."

"If you're this scared of Charles reading our minds maybe we should get back to the tower?" Steve asked her.

"I don't know what happened." Darcy admitted, avoiding Steve's question.

"You connected yourself to the stones." Natasha told her getting everyone to look at her. "Last time when she connected all of us at once we thought she fainted because Clint was in pain, or asleep, but we thought it was associated with him, although the rest of us were fine." Natasha started to explain.

They all agreed though it didn't seem to sit well with them anymore, making Pepper wonder how much they had learned in barely two days apart from SHIELD's mess with Darcy's upbringing.

"I thought it was because of Mew-Mew." Darcy admitted.

"It was not!" Natasha affirmed. "And don't think I don't know the reason you need Clint this much right now is because you disconnected yourself from us, we'll talk about that later." Natasha kept chastising Darcy her tone of voice only missing the 'young lady' at the end, making Pepper smile unrepentantly. Darcy whined trying to make herself smaller while simultaneously be closer to Clint, who apparently didn't have any problems with his ribs anymore.

Tony must have caught Pepper looking at Clint because he put his arms around her and whispered that he would explain later.

"You tried to connect all the stones at once." Natasha explained and Darcy protested.

"No, I wanted to be prepared, to know if the stones would protect me if something cut one or all of you off again." Darcy mumbled trying to hide herself in Steve's shoulder.

"You should have told us." Tony told her.

"You would have said no." Darcy retoured.

"You should have told me." Rogue argued and Darcy nodded.

"Sorry." Was the first fully intelligible word the girl let out.

"It's too much for you to do that Darcy, not until you trained more, not until you have all of us." Natasha said getting everyone to look between the two of them.

"It wasn't on purpose. I didn't know it would happen. Didn't even realize it happened until you said so." Darcy defended herself.

Pepper wanted to defend Darcy, the young woman never did anything without thinking of the consequences before, which for once wasn't a Stark family trait, if she had done what Natasha said it clearly wasn't done on purpose.

"Look how many times did you try to talk to Clint before it worked?" Bruce asked Darcy and they all knew the answer to that but if it would get their little girl to stop doing dangerous things they could hear it once more.

"A lot." She said smiling while Clint leaned into her more so he would be able to kiss her ear.

"And you were really sick after you met Phil and you got all his images at once." Clint added and Darcy nodded.

"Okay." Darcy mumbled sleepily and Pepper pushed everyone out of the door. "Tasha." The girl asked reaching out for the spy.

"Yeah." Natasha said sitting back where Darcy could see her without having to move away from them.

"I know how to make it work now." Darcy told her and Natasha shook her head.

"It's too dangerous right now." She said gently brushing Darcy's hair away. "We can try one by one."

"No, I mean with you. I figured it out." Darcy explained. "Plus you said it yourself, it's never all of you."

Great, if Darcy was starting to speak cryptic spy too Pepper would never have all the Intel she needed to protect them.

"Okay" Natasha told her before leaving letting Pepper with them not quite certain of what to do yet she went out of the room and closed it behind her watching the rest of the team get down the stairs.

"Not that I am not happy to see you Pep but what are you doing here?" Tony asked her as soon as the door was closed but not without kissing her first. "Missed me already?"

"Yes but I also need the adoption papers to make sure they are valid." Pepper told him.

"It could have waited until this weekend." Tony said suspecting that there was more to it.

"I still want to adopt her if she is okay with that." Pepper admitted. "I know it's only been 8 months but I love her and I want to make sure she knows it." She affirmed.

"Did I tell you 'I love you' lately?" Tony asked kissing along her jaw.

"This morning on the phone." Pepper assured him.

"That's way too far." He said before whispering 'I love you' into her hear.

After a few minutes Tony stepped away from her.

"Wait! We left everyone home so you would be safe. It kind of defeats the purpose if you come here. It's dangerous to get out of the tower unescorted." Tony complained and Pepper grinned.

"I wasn't unescorted." She told him.

"It also defeats the purpose if one of the baby Avengers came here with you." Tony told her.

"I am not sure I qualify as a baby Avenger Mister Stark." Phil said from behind Tony.

"Agent! It's always a pleasure to see you, but SHIELD isn't allowed this close to Darcy, ever." Tony said trying to convince the man to get back downstairs.

"Actually it's Director Coulson now, and I didn't know about Fury's mess until the SHIELD collapsed and he asked me to take his place." Phil assured them.

"Yet, that was a week ago and without her… Elizabeth, we wouldn't know anything." Tony said getting angry.

"I am here now, aren't I? I came to the tower to explain and Pepper said you were here." Phil defended himself. "Plus you're not the only one who had to downsize his security team, I had my own mess to deal with. Agent Ward is HYDRA, he tried to kill several of my agents when he escaped."

"That girl is like a lie detector, she knew who was HYDRA before we even knew HYDRA was there to begin with." Tony muttered before looking at Phil again.

"You're still not getting in. They need some alone time." He explained and Pepper approved.

"I wanted to talk to the rest of you first anyway. Though Cap and Clint would have been nice too." Phil insisted.

"Not going to happen, it's nap time for geriatric or injured people." Tony told him turning him toward the stairs and away from the bedroom. Pepper sighed but smiled any way, sometime Tony could be so cute.

"Phil?" Darcy said from the barely open door, Clint still holding her.

"Darcy, you should be in bed!" Tony said forgetting about Phil to get back to her. "Go back to bed!" He told her before pointing fingers at Clint and Steve. "You two are really unhelpful can't even keep your girl in bed?"

"Tony!" Darcy growled at him before leaning in to kiss his cheek. "I feel better, just need Clint to stay close."

"Fine." Tony said pouting getting back to stirring Phil away from Darcy or at least try.

"What are you doing here?" Darcy asked Pepper and Phil. To be honest, Pepper had no intention of saying this in front of people but she guessed if thing went her way they all become her family soon.

"I want to adopt you before the wedding." Pepper said without blushing watching only for Darcy's reaction.

"What wedding?" Darcy asked looking between Pepper and Darcy.

Pepper had forgotten that they had waited for Darcy to be back from London to make the announcement, then Thor happened and Steve had to go back to work and now they were facing HYDRA.

"You two are getting married and you didn't tell us?" Darcy said sounding sad.

"We were planning a party for Steve's next visit at the tower, and Tony wanted to tell you the truth before we made it official." Pepper started to defend herself. "Hey, you didn't tell us about the three of you either."

"So you want to adopt me?" Darcy asked opening the door completely and inviting Pepper to get back in.

"If you let me; yes." Pepper confirmed.

"But I am an adult. You can't adopt adults." Darcy wondered. "Don't you want to adopt a baby instead? Or a dog, we could use a dog at home."

Everyone around them looked at her strangely, well it was strange for Pepper, but they all seemed to know exactly what they were doing.

"No, I am sure I want to adopt you Darcy." Pepper said again. "I love you, and I guess I could use some more Stark in my life."

"But you would be stuck with me forever." Darcy told her. "We don't have a bond, you could just walk away from all this when it's too much, why tie yourself to us?"

Pepper watched as Steve leaned in to kiss Darcy's temple, he wasn't bonded either but apparently he was stuck with them and Darcy wasn't questioning that at all, reacting as if Pepper was the first one to ever make that choice.

"Well I do plan to marry Tony anyway but that's not why I want to do it." Pepper told them. "I was already thinking about it when Tony was in Afghanistan I didn't know exactly how old you were, or where you were and I wondered if someone would be able to take care of you if something happened to Tony?" She started to explain. "And when we finally met you, you were…" She was struggling to find the right world, telling Darcy she seemed vulnerable would probably be something the girl would find offensive and anyway she might have been but she had been equally strong and fun and so many things that were just Darcy.

"I wouldn't want to adopt anyone else Darcy, you're strong headed, carefree, loving, organized, fun, you know how to love all of them, but you also guide them and help them. There is so much for us to love in you. I know I would never be able to replace your mom and I don't want to, I just want you to know you're loved and that you made us a family not just a team." Pepper said not looking up at them.

"Pep'!" Darcy called out so Pepper looked up at them to be met with a smiling Phil, three weeping Avengers, and a crying Darcy.

"Oh I am sorry Honey; I didn't mean to make you cry." Pepper told her kneeling in front of Darcy to be at her height.

"I am not…" Darcy started but only to lunch herself into a big hug with Pepper who fell on the floor with the force of it.

Clint helped them up, taking a sobbing Darcy back with him while Tony held his hands out to help Pepper up after letting the women hug for a while.

"I am still too old." Darcy mumbled getting her tears under control, using Clint's shirt to wipe them away.

"Well you're too old to go through an adoption agency but I can still adopt you legally if you allow me to do it. Gay couple used to do it before the government made a form of engagement legal for them so they would have family rights in case of emergencies or in death." Pepper explained she was about to cry too and her brain automatically went into logic to calm her down.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now but I wanted you to know that Tony and I want to be your parents and we don't care about SHIELD or Elizabeth or any of it." Pepper assured her when Darcy didn't say anything after a few minutes. "I didn't want you to have time to wonder."

"Does it mean I'll have to be the flower girl at the wedding? Because I'd look ridiculous in a frilly flowery dress" Darcy finally asked after a few more minutes making everyone laugh.

"No, Darcy, you don't have to or at least not in that kind of dress." Pepper atoned.

"Hey don't say that I kind of want to see her in a baby pink dress with ribbons in her hair." Tony said.

"I don't think I ever wore that kind of dress sorry." Darcy told him, making it clear that if she had not done it being a little girl she wouldn't now.

"Does that mean yes?" Pepper probed and Darcy nodded hugging her once more.

"But I don't want to make the headlines so can we do it discreetly?" Darcy asked.

"Of course we can, I wouldn't have it any other way, you will only become a Stark in front of the world if you choose it and when you choose it." Pepper assured her kissing her forehead. "We'll protect you." She said looking at Tony.

"I always did." Tony reminded them.

"The adoption papers…" Pepper asked "I need to see who Director Carter went to, so I can see if we could use the same judge." Pepper explained looking up at Tony once more.

"I gave them to Darcy." He said looking at the young lady who was trying to extract herself from Clint to climb over to Steve and hide behind the both of them.

"What did you do?" Pepper asked.

"Hum… Nothing." Darcy mumbled trying to pry away her boyfriends hands who were trying to get her to sit down and face what she did even though their twin grin assured Pepper that it was a good thing. "Tony's and mine are in Clint's bow protection case." She said rolling her eyes.

"What about Howard's?" Tony probed.

"Iburnedthem." Darcy whispered quickly hiding her face into the crook of Clint's neck, the man holding her tightly smiling on top of her hair.

Pepper caught what she said as did Phil and Tony but she was the only one smiling, Phil started to speak about burning official papers and how he needed them to find the trace of what happened with that specific mission while Tony just whitened visibly.

"You burned them?" Tony repeated. "You burned your birth certificate? The one saying your last name is Stark?"

Darcy looked up at him quizzically before nodding.

"I thought spending time with me would make you happy to be my daughter even a little. Being a Stark is not so bad. Was it so bad to be a part of my family that you burned down the evidence of it the first time you got?" Tony yelled at her though it didn't really seem to be meant for her.

Darcy extricated herself from her boyfriends to stand in front of Tony, slapping him before kissing him on the cheek. "Stupid genius." She mumbled making everyone laugh, everyone except Tony who had a hurt look on his face. She went to Clint's bow case the print of her thumb enough to open it. As far as Pepper knew only four people could open it, Clint, Darcy, Natasha and Steve, no one else, not even on the team.

"I burned Howard's papers because it meant nothing to me, and I didn't want you to think I was his. He didn't even like me enough to make sure no one tempered with his daughter before she was born. If I am going to be a Stark I want to be yours, you're the one who took care of me, who protected me and Elizabeth. That's why I put **this** somewhere safe." She said handing him the adoption papers.

Tony looked between the papers and Darcy for a really long time, before smiling.

"You're going to call me dad for real now?" He asked trying really hard to not put all his hope in her answer.

"One step at a time. But I'll think about it and maybe someday I will." Darcy told him getting herself back into Clint's arms. "It's not against you." She specified "You know I haven't called Elizabeth 'mom' for a really long while." She said. "I need to get used to the fact that you're not going to disappear, or abandon me, or tell me you rather be my friends than my parents." She explained. "But I want to." She finally admitted getting the people she loved around her for a group hug.

"Can we adopt Tasha and Bruce too? They need a family." Darcy asked only half joking.

"Why not us?" Steve asked surprised.

"That would be gross, you can be official part of the family when we get married." She told him kissing him deeply then turning to Clint to do the same.

"Hum…" Pepper interrupted them. "My powers have their limits, Darcy, and a three-way wedding isn't one of them." She told them.

"That's okay, Thor said it happens all the time in Asgard." Darcy announced smiling but not letting her boyfriends get a word out before she tugged at Clint's hand so they would get up.

"Why is Phil here?" She asked turning toward the man.

"He's been promoted director of SHIELD, came to party." Tony told her.

"I came to get those papers, Skye said she couldn't find anything about this mission on SHIELD's server so you have the only copy." Phil explained pointing at the mission papers sitting next to Clint's quiver on their bed.

"Fury told him everything about it after the fall of SHIELD." Pepper specified.

"The papers stay here for now; you have to deserve it to get them. You need to explain." Darcy told him pointing at the door. "You need to convince Tasha to give them to you when she could do the job herself."

And with that they got out of the room and down the stairs, Steve steadying both Clint and Darcy as they went unable to part away from each other. Pepper observed them, watching both Clint's partially healed body and Steve's grin at being in charge of them, none of the pain he used to hide from not understanding Darcy's need of having Clint around and not him, when something happened with the bonds or the stones, showing on his face. Darcy always required him to join them, but she needed Clint, and even though Pepper was still trying to figure out why, she was starting to think that both Natasha and Steve knew the already.


	64. In all fairness

**In all Fairness.**

Phil had been dreading this moment since Nick had explained what happened. The ex-director of SHIELD knew that after his visit to Agent Mills, scaring her about possible threats surrounding her family there was no way the woman wouldn't tell the truth to her daughter not if it meant that Darcy would finally know the truth as well.

It wasn't like the man hadn't wanted to come to the Avengers himself but he had leads to follow a death to assume, he couldn't be seen at the tower with every agencies having spies in or out of it. So it was Phil's mess to clean once more.

Now facing the Avengers, Pepper, a slightly out of it Darcy, and their current company who didn't look like they would be leaving any time soon, he had to admit, he wasn't feeling all that great about the facts he had to talk about.

Apparently Lisa had given them the mission report so that was one thing he didn't have to talk to them about at least. Though he knew both Tony and Darcy, and from what Pepper had told him on the way to the mansion, they only received the letter the day before, so they were both still on the processing the Intel part of their recognition pattern. Phil still wasn't sure Tony had totally processed the fact that Howard had created SHIELD and he had been dealing with that information for almost a year.

The mansion wasn't unknown to him, neither were the Avengers, and yet, somehow, he felt like the weird guy out, the one no one wanted to play with. Even Darcy seemed to be distant, though with what he had witnessed in the bedroom, he would say Darcy was closer to the state she was in the last time he had seen her in London then her usual funny self.

Phil pulled out some files and his laptop out of his bag, Skye had managed to secure it before he left assuring him that none of Tony's gadget would be able to hack it like he had done on the Hellicarrier.

The first file was the Project Earth Child report and layout, personal files of everyone responsible for it. That one Nick had given him to investigate, countering it with the promise that he would get the Intel before the Avengers as it was his mess to clean up, and Phil had debated with himself for a long time over giving it to Darcy or not, but he had promised Skye he would help her find her family and there was no reason for him not to give the same courtesy to Darcy, even though he was now only bonded with one of them.

The second one was what Skye had found on the Culver Facility when she was investigating SHIELD. Both Phil and Nick had read it and couldn't find anything that would give them a clue, every employee had been SHIELD but unless they found and questioned each of them, they would never be able to tell if even one of them was HYDRA.

On the computer Simmons and Fitz had assemble the DNA results of every person who ever stood foot in the facility, as it was part of their protocols, including high ranking agents, such as Ross, Fury, or Pierce. Only JARVIS knew Darcy's DNA so they needed Tony to see if there was a connection.

As he was explaining all of this, each of the Avengers took the files they wanted to read. Tony and Darcy grabbing the program's folder because they needed to know more about it, he guessed, not really caring about the investigation right away. Natasha took away the file from the facility, looking quickly at the names listed on the first page, searching for someone she would know from SHIELD as well as from Red Room now that they knew HYDRA had been working with the Russians. Pepper helped Natasha decipher the financial aspect of it. Meanwhile Bruce was scanning the DNA results, probably knowing Darcy's and the others just as well as JARVIS did.

"Did you read all of this?" Darcy finally asked him.

"Some. Like I said, I hadn't had a lot of time for leisure reading since the fall of SHIELD." Phil admitted.

"But Fury gave it to you, he explained what it was, what he did, what SHIELD did and yet you agreed to become the new director of SHIELD." Darcy told him calmly, her voice cold and to the point.

"You may have done the right thing by exposing us to the world but HYDRA is still out there, there are still people to protect, agents who still believe in what we were and who don't want to give up." Phil defended himself.

"What you were? What you used to believe in?" Darcy snapped at him.

"Darcy, I know you never approved of SHIELD…" Phil started but Darcy interrupted him.

"I couldn't care less who you were working for, all of you, not even when Clint and Tasha were on the other side of your precious morale line. What I cared about was that the people who said they were there to protect us wouldn't steal a brilliant scientist's work, wouldn't send a nuclear bomb on civilians and the people who were fighting for them." She started to explained standing up suddenly pushing the file she had in hand away and walking to the door. "People who experienced on people, sacrificed men and women to fulfill their agendas, who would create a person not caring of what it would do to them, while pretending to be the good guys."

And with that she just walked out. Everyone looked at the door for a few seconds before Clint and Steve both started to stand up from the couch the three of them where seating on.

"Give her a little time to calm down." Bruce told them showing off his green tainted skin.

"I am sure she doesn't mean everything she…" Pepper always trying to help people tried to explain.

"Save it I am pretty sure she meant every word of it. But thank you Pepper." Phil told her.

"It wasn't meant for you." She amended.

"I guessed that." Phil told her with a smile. "Apart maybe for the part where I chose my work over her again." He said leaving them to think about it and going to find Darcy.

It didn't take long. He found her on his first try actually, looking over Lola on the mansion pathway.

"You know Clint talks about her a lot." Darcy told him. "I think, sometimes he wishes Fury had kept on your death charade long enough to inherit it."

"He would have been sad to find out that Fury was going to get Lola, then." Phil said smiling.

"You know how to hurt a man who is already down don't you?" She asked grinning.

They circled the car a few times talking about the details of the Lola's specificities.

"You know I am not really mad at you, right?" She said looking down on her feet.

"Why don't you get inside?" He said pointing at the car and looking at her as she nodded enthusiastically.

"What SHIELD did is unforgivable but…" He started to explain but she stopped him putting a hand on his knee.

"Don't apologize for something you had no part in." She told him, she sounded calmer.

"I wasn't about to. And I think the reason Nick sent me here instead of coming himself was half so he wouldn't have to face the Avengers' wrath, though I didn't know Hulk could be so protective of you." He said.

"Yeah, he is a giant Teddy bear." She told him with a smile he had seen on her face too many times not to know what it was about.

"You bonded with Hulk didn't you?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No, director I did not." She assured him but he knew she was lying.

"Darcy. I may be here as director of SHIELD but I am also your friend, or at least I hope I still am." Phil explained. "I never reported your relationship to SHIELD do you really think I would report something like that with holes in our security I don't know about?" He asked a little offended.

"I will agree but not explain how it works. Is that okay with you?" She asked him and he nodded thanking her for her trust.

"Would you have let them do it? If you had been in Fury's shoes at that time?" Darcy asked after a few minutes of playing with every buttons she could find.

"Yes!" Phil admitted, he had thought about it. He would probably have kept his eyes on Howard's and Maria's DNA material, to make sure their main benefactor wasn't manipulated, would probably have found a way to make Stane think his plan went through instead of letting it play out. "No!" he finally admitted after Darcy had waited patiently for him to think it through.

"Which one is it?" Darcy probed.

"I would have lied to Stane and keep an eye on Howard's DNA but I guess ultimately you would still be a pawn on a plan that had nothing to do with you." Phil admitted.

"The mission comes first." Darcy said resigned.

"It's not always the case but we can't plan 20 years in advance. Plus, you turned out to be pretty important all on your own." Phil told her thinking it would reassure her.

"I did nothing on my own." Darcy told him shyly. "All this, them…" She said pointing at the mansion. "I wouldn't have any of it without what HYDRA made of me."

"Did you know that Bucky saved Steve from drowning in the Potomac?" Phil asked her.

"We assumed he swam there somehow." Darcy told him.

"They found boots marks leaving the place he was in, heavier on the left." Phil told her. "Barnes did that."

"I am sure Steve will be happy to hear that." Darcy said nodding.

"I am sure of it, but I am not telling so you can relay the message." He told her. "I want you to understand that even though he had been under HYDRA's influence for the last 70 years, it didn't mean anything countered with watching his best friend died." Phil told her. "HYDRA tells people they are helping their cause, they are important to it, but it's only because they wouldn't be able to achieve anything without them." He kept going. "It's similar to Red Room's training, they wanted perfect little spies they could sacrifice for a cause, for a price but given a choice Natasha chose to follow Barton." He finished looking at her. "I don't think even the tiniest part of you wants to join in on their crusade." He said and look as she shook her head brushing a few tears away from her cheeks.

"I miss you." She told him and he had to admit, he had been missing her too.

"You know it would be different anyway." Phil told her.

"Doesn't mean I didn't want to keep being connected to you." Darcy admitted, it was the first time they actually talked about it.

"I wasn't meant to be one of them, Darcy. Only to find them." Phil told her, he had figured it at the first time Clint and Darcy met, he had fought so hard to keep her out of his mind but as soon as she got close to him, and from what Clint had reported as soon as they touched, cuddled, whatever they wanted to call it, the bond seemed to lessen, it became easier. He wasn't sure of it, that night but then it happened again when she met Natasha a couple of days later, as if his only purpose had to be assembling the team.

"I am missing some, your job wasn't finished." Darcy admitted.

"What do you mean?" He asked curious.

"They were supposed to be 6 of them, you only found 3 and then I found Hulk, I didn't even have to save him of anything to do so." Darcy explained. "You and I have unfinished business."

"Want me to find people you know nothing about?" Phil asked her and Darcy thought about it for a while looking back to the mansion several times.

"Maybe they'll find me when the time comes." She resigned herself. "What about us?"

"Fury used alien blood to save me Darcy." He said and felt her freeze beside him. "I was mad, but then I used it on Skye after she had been shot, so I am in no place to judge him."

"Well I still can." Darcy said with a shrug.

"Feel free to do so." He told her grinning. "Anyhow, what he did was more than that, I can't give you all the details but there was a program meant to cure people, it had side effects such as cutting off existing bonds and I chose to shut it down when I learned about that, but it was the only way for Nick to save me so he used it anyway." Phil sighed, he hadn't come to create even more troubles for his old friend.

"But Fury said you and him are still bonded." Darcy asked with a little scared voice.

"We are, I guess it's the combination of the two techniques and what it did to my brain that cut you out, they rewired me, made me normal and well as normal as regular bonded people are" Phil stopped thinking he might have said something wrong when Darcy got out of the car.

"I am not normal." She said but when she turned toward him she was smirking.

"That's not what I was expecting." He admitted.

"Tasha said none of us are normal." She said shrugging.

Watching Darcy walk toward the mansion was a clear dismissal if he ever needed one. They walked back in joking about ways for Darcy to prank Nick, only to be faced with the Avengers trying to calm a pacing Hulk.

"Oh great! We thought you were yelling at each other we didn't want hulk to get involved." Clint told her getting close enough to them to check out that they in fact did not fought each other before taking Darcy in his arms, kissing her temple.

The archer seemed truly happy, they all did and witnessing Pepper's speech earlier Phil was glad he had left Darcy to handle the Avengers he wasn't sure he would have done such a great job.

"Come on Hulk. We talked about this already 'No hulking in old buildings', Charles is going to get mad." Steve tried to reason the beast.

"Hulk keeps secrets." Hulk said pouting at them.

"What kind of secrets?" Darcy asked him. "Because if it is about our bond, it's too late Phil already guessed." She announced to the room who looked back at him with reactions going from blank to smiles.

"Hulk proud of little Darcy." Hulk told her and she smiled at him.

"Did something you are not proud of happened?" She asked him making him sit on the rug in between couches so he would be at eyes level before cuddling with him, Hulk brushing her hair. It was all surreal.

"Puny Bruce ask Hulk to come out." Hulk told them and they all looked up at him, but he only gave them a mysterious smirk. "Hulk keeps secrets." He said once more.

"That never happened before, did it?" Darcy asked the others but everyone shook their head.

"Not outside of the field, no." Steve admitted.

"Wait!" She said and turned to look at Charles who came inside at the same time as they did. "You can't read his mind either can you?"

Phil wondered what she meant by 'either' because at least his agents had already come down here and Xavier never had this kind of problem.

"I never tried but I guess the answer would be no, since I can't now, and anyhow Dr Banner and I talked about this, they might be aware of one another but they are two separated entities I can't read the mind of one when he is in the other's form." Charles explained.

"I can." Darcy said clearly without meaning to as she hid herself into the mass of muscle that was Hulk's chest right after. "I didn't mean that, I meant I can't talk to one or the other whatever form they take." She quickly mumbled.

"Hulk, is Bruce trying to hide something from us?" Steve asked cutting off any questioning lines to his girlfriend who took his hand in thanks.

"Hulk no secrets for team." Hulk said shaking his head.

"Is he trying to hide it from Charles?" Steve kept asking and Hulk nodded.

Steve stared down at Darcy and the two of them seemed to have a silent conversation before Darcy relented and sighed heavily before laughing. "Fine." She said standing up. "I am sorry Charles this trip had been really charming but we are going back home." She told him not waiting for his answer before clicking something in her ear. "Buddy! Lock every files access we gave to the mansion, please, we're going back home" She said before bursting into laughter. "I think he is going to be mad at us for a while." She informed them.

"I told you they were brats." Tony said shrugging when they all looked at him.

"If you don't mind I am taking this." Darcy said putting the folders in Natasha's hands. "We'll send you copies." She promised though he already had copies, he knew she would want to keep the originals, it was her life story after all. "and…" She turned around looking for something. "Where is Phil's computer?" She asked and he realized she was right his laptop had disappeared.

"Hulk Smash." Hulk informed them.

Well; now at least Phil knew that whatever Bruce wanted to hide it was in the files on his computer.

"Hulk would you please follow Tony outside?" Darcy asked him. "Natasha and I will handle packing Bruce's stuff and the Quinjet will pick the both of you outside."

"What about my stuff?" Tony asked and Pepper and Darcy shared a looked, that seemed both exasperated and fond.

"I think I remember how to do that." Pepper told him before guiding Darcy and Natasha toward the stairs.

"We'll come back to finish the training." Steve told Charles though he looked unsure of the truth of that statement.

"I am sure one day, she'll come to trust me too." Charles told him. "We will all need each other."

"She just doesn't like to feel exposed." Clint explained for them before going for the stairs himself.


	65. Quinjet Talk

**Quinjet talk.**

The Avengers had left Xavier's mansion but not without promising to be back soon, so Darcy would be able to finish her training. They had left Phil, the Bus was waiting for him at an undisclosed extract point and he had more important things to do than escort them back to the tower anyway, or so he said taking time to hug them just to prove how much he hadn't meant what he said. Hunter went with him after Phil had explained that Bobby had managed to infiltrate HYDRA, or more accurately that they hadn't killed her because she had faked being loyal and they needed her for her expertise so they had kept her, anyway Hunter couldn't leave his ex-wife on a dangerous mission without help. Darcy took a long time to say her goodbyes to him making him swear her would be back at the tower with Bobby really soon, and if he could convince Coulson, the rest of his team too.

But they still went back with more people than they had when they came in. Logan and Wade had both offered their expertise in tracking people, so they wouldn't need as much time to find their missing friend. Plus, Wade had some kind of a man crush on the missing soldier and they were both immortal which led the team agreeing on them tagging along.

Clint was piloting the Quinjet, he only needed his hands to do so as he had told them. Hulk still refused to tell them his secret, Pepper and Tony were talking about the adoption and how much it made them both happy that Darcy had accepted. Natasha was telling Wade and Logan what they needed to know to find Bucky or at least what she had thought could be useful to find someone who worked for the Red Room for a while. Steve, meanwhile, was watching Darcy pace the Quinjet like a tiger in cage.

He had tried to make her sit down and relax, but he guessed even if Bruce wasn't hiding valuable information, she still had promised to tell them everything she knew as soon as they were coming back home.

"Why don't you talk to us?" Steve asked reaching for her so she would sit down. Clint was a good pilot but he couldn't control everything about their flight.

"I am not…" She said looking around them.

"The number of people listening to you is only going to grow exponentially as we reach the tower." Tony informed her.

"I know that." She told him with a grin. "They are our family they deserve to know what they are getting themselves into." She retoured.

"Okay, then sit down." Natasha asked her.

"I…" Darcy started before stopping to look at them. "I can't."

That's when Steve remembered one thing their green team mate had made them forget. He stood up to take her in his arms and kiss her.

"Go sit, I'll get Clint back here." He told her and she nodded against his chest. "It won't take long." He told her kissing the top of her head.

"Hey!" He said approaching the pilot seat. "Can JARVIS fly us back home?" Steve asked him.

"He could but I am on it." Clint answered keeping his eyes to the cloud.

"Clint?" Steve probed moving around so he would face his boyfriend.

"We'll be there in 2hours." Clint informed him in a tone that would probably have led anyone else to let the man alone, anyone outside their family at least, but in this plane it had zero chance of working, not even on Tony who tried to avoid conflict as much as he could.

"Hey!" Steve said in a low voice to make sure no one would hear them, if Darcy and Natasha had been busy he would have signed with him, he had gotten better at it, but with them there it was as useful as yelling at each other would be. "Talk to me." He told him. "Please."

"I don't know how to do this." Clint admitted.

"Do what?" Steve asked not really knowing what this was about.

"She talked with Thor about wedding." Clint told him in a sigh.

"And you don't want to get married to us?" Steve asked knowing that it wasn't really the problem here but it was a good thing to make sure before they dwell on the real problem.

"I love both of you, Steve, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you but I never thought we even get to that part, ever, not that long ago you and I wouldn't even be allowed to get married, let alone for a polyamorous couple." Clint told him finally getting his eyes away from the sky to look at Steve.

"How about you tell me what the problem is then?" Steve asked.

"I was married before and it was one of the worst time of my life." Clint explained.

"I am not Bobby." They heard coming from behind Clint and looked up to see Darcy, arms cross under her breast glaring at them. "Did it ever occur to you that she just wasn't meant for you?" she asked before mumbling, "Or for Hunter but one problem at a time."

"I know that." Clint told her grinning and reaching out for her to come closer. Darcy sat on his lap waiting for him to explain.

"I know you're not Bobby, but the problem wasn't just her not being you, I was a bad husband." He told them hiding in her hair.

"From what you told me and what Tasha and Hunter told me, the only bad thing you did was traveling a little too often to Culver while you were married." Darcy told him grinning. "And look I am sitting on you so you don't need to go spy on me, problem solved."

"Darcy!" Clint sighed kissing her temple.

"I didn't mean to scare you; I didn't even ask Thor for advices; he gave them to me one night when none of us could get Jane to stop working." Darcy explained. "You were there when I told him not to do 'his God of Fertility' blessing on us in London. I am happy as we are now, not looking to make an honest man out of you just yet." She told him grinning. "Any of you. But I am glad he told me because I am not doing this if we can't do it together."

"Me neither." Steve informed them still smiling.

"I don't want to mess everything up." Clint told them again.

"It's okay we can wait how long you need, or never do it…" Darcy said looking up to see Steve grinning at them, "I don't think Tony minds us living in sin." She told him, kissing him. "Now can JARVIS take over? I still need you." She admitted and surprised them both again.

Darcy had changed in the past few days, maybe since DC, Steve didn't really know, what he knew was that, when they first started this, she wouldn't ask for help, not even to grab something on the top shelf in the kitchen.

"I'll fly us back." Tony said from behind them.

"What about Pepper?" Steve asked because JARVIS could take over without leaving any of them alone.

"She is giving the 'ground rules' to living in the tower to our guests." He said shrugging.

"Thanks Tony." Darcy told him tugging on her boyfriends to get away from the pilot seat to the end of the jet.

Once they were sitting on the back of the Jet Natasha joined them, Hulk still close enough to listen to them.

"I want to know." Natasha told them and Darcy nodded.

"I can't read your minds." Darcy told them. "Not as clearly as Charles can, would be more accurate." She corrected herself. "Like I can't ask you to think of a number between 1 and 10, and tell you which it is." She started to explain. "It's more like an upgrade of the bonds." She told the holding a hand to withhold questions. "The normal part of the bonds, the one that says happy, sad, hungry, or whatever. I don't really know how…" She started again then stopped herself. "It's like I know what would make you happy or sad again. What was said to make your mood change and how to fix it."

"So you can't actually read our thoughts." Natasha repeated.

"No! At least, I don't think so." Darcy admitted. "it's weird but it's very clear in my brain. Like when Steve sees a plan of attack on the field or Clint sees where his arrows are going to go to even without looking. I just know."

"Since when?" Tony asked her from the front of the Jet, probably listening on them with JARVIS's help.

"I have to think that one through." She admitted. "I didn't really realize I was doing it before Charles pointed it out, for me it was not really that different from what I do for Pepper or Jane." Darcy told them.

"But you said you know where it's coming from." Clint probed.

"It's another one of you." She told them hiding in the crook of Clint's neck.

"Can you repeat that?" Steve asked stroking a soothing hand on her back.

"It's not just the four of them." She whispered as if everyone wasn't listening on them anyway. "I am still missing two…" She continued wincing "Two and a half." She added shrugging.

"You're supposed to have two more guardians?" Clint asked at the same time Natasha wondered why "and a half?"

"It's complicated." Darcy told them. "I'll explained to everyone at once?" She wondered waiting to see if they would agree.

"Just tell us, the reading mind thing? It's a new side effect?" Natasha asked and Darcy nodded, getting some of them to start wondering what else she would be able to do if she still had two more people to connect to.

The rest of the flight was calm, Wade and Logan getting into a fight that Steve needed to break down before Hulk saw them as a threat to Darcy. Pepper came over to their side of the Jet to ask Darcy if she was really okay with everything they had discuss, but Darcy just rolled her eyes at her. She tried to get Hulk to tell her his secret but he wouldn't bulge even when she threatened to never cuddle with him again, it only got their green team mate to pout for the rest of the flight.

As soon as they landed Hulk turned back into Bruce.

"So what's the secret?" Darcy asked as soon as he was 'Bruce enough' as she called him.

"I need to check something to make sure." He said and walked away from the Jet to the elevator not even acknowledging the people who were waiting for them on the living area, but he took the time to hug Darcy before he went so she let it go.

"I'll talk. Tell you everything you want to know." She said turning toward the rest of them still inside the Jet. "But you get rid of the X-men and the Fantastic Four first." She told them looking at Logan and Wade before getting back to the rest of them. "It's a family matter." And before their two guests could protest saying that they would start looking for Barnes they didn't need to hear what she had to say to do so, she stopped them. "I choose who is a part of the family." She explained. "Just send the people inside to where they belong, please."

"And what are you going to do?" Clint asked her, clearly not sure she should get away from him, that or not wanting to deal with their guests himself.

"I need to speak to Thor." She told them and went to find the God the rest of them following her back inside.


	66. Moment of Truth

Summary: The truth all the truth and nothing but the truth...  
Well almost, I didn't give away thing I, as the writer, know but am not ready to tell you...

Notes: So you wanted more explanations and since I needed for them to be aware of everything to move on plot wise you now know it too...

 **Moment of Truth.**

Darcy came back to the living area after her talk with Thor. It only took her about 10 minutes to ask if her suspicions could be true or not, and for the God to answer some questions and tell her they would have to question their team mates to have the answers to others. What was important to her though was that when she came back, they were alone again, if you can be alone when there is a dozen people in front of you. But it was different, she handpicked them, or they came along with the Avengers or the job but she could have asked for them to have a restricted access to her home, she didn't.

"How do you want to do it?" Darcy asked noticing that Bruce was still missing. "Are we waiting for Bruce?"

"JARVIS is showing him the video feed and he'll tell us if Bruce as questions. He says it will take a while." Pepper informed her and Darcy nodded, it was fair, apparently what he found out had been very important, enough to make him 'Hulk out' on purpose, so if he needed time to make sure they should give it to him. But Darcy wasn't sure she could wait and stress about it any longer.

"Can we…?" She started thinking it was selfish of her to exclude Bruce like that. "Can we do it without him here? I don't want to have time to think about it."

"That was the plan, it's the reason he has a video feed to us." Tony confirmed and Darcy nodded to him before finding Clint and Steve to snuggle.

"Did something happen while you were upstate?" Sam asked them.

"A lot of things happened." Darcy told him chuckling. "JARVIS can you give my new denomination to the room please."

"Darce, what did you do?" Tony asked her before the AI could comply.

"Ohana." She said looking at everyone around them. "My family, my rules."

"JARVIS." Tony simply said, smiling.

 _Darcy Mills Potts Stark, daughter of SHIELD agent Lisa Mills, Miss Virginia 'Pepper_ _' Potts, and Mister Anthony Edward Stark._

The non-Avengers part of their family, were all stunt into silence.

"I hope you don't mind I wanted to keep Lisa into it." Darcy told Pepper and Tony hoping it would be okay with them, she wanted to be their daughter but it didn't mean she didn't want to be her mother's daughter too, and especially there was something Steve had said that stuck with her, she still wanted to be April's big sister even if they didn't share DNA.

"Oh Darcy no! We don't mind." Pepper told her leaning in to kiss her cheek gently before looking up to watch Tony trying to hide his emotion by putting his sunglasses on, which Pepper took away from him.

"That's going to require some explanations." Jane told them, looking from one to the other.

"You're not planning on calling her that in front of other people, are you?" Hill asked concerned. "With HYDRA and Ross around."

 _I am only allowed to call Darcy, 'Miss Stark_ _' in front of the present company, Captain Hunter and Director Coulson. Any other guests allowed on the private floors will be subjected to approval of all the involved parties._

Darcy laughed at JARVIS formal tone, but she was glad, she had meant the name thing as a surprise to Tony and Pepper but she wasn't ready to tell it to the world just yet, becoming a Stark would require some preparation, if she was ever ready.

"Can we have an explanation?" Jane asked again. "Who is Lisa Mills?"

Darce gestured for Tony to take over.

"All of it?" Tony asked and Darcy agreed. "Lisa Mills and Elisabeth Miller are one and the same, she used to be a SHIELD agent until she was asked to take part of a special mission. Apparently, Howard, Fury, Aunt Peggy…" When Steve froze against her they realized Tony hadn't told him about that part yet. "I am sorry I never told you, I grew up with Peggy around the house all the time, Howard, Jarvis and her were friends." He said to Steve almost looking as if he wanted to hug the man so Darcy did it for him.

"It's okay I am glad they stayed friends, and I can totally imagine her running around trying to follow your crazy little boy brain." Steve said with a laugh. "Do you have pictures of that time?" He asked looking as if he wanted nothing more than to see them.

"Better I have videos. Though some of them won't be divulged." He told them sternly.

"Did little Tony like to dress up as Captain America?" Darcy asked and Tony glared at her making everyone laugh including him.

"I think we found our next movie night program." Tasha said plotting by sharing a look with Pepper who nodded, it will so happen.

"Can we go back to the topic at hand please? I have work to do." Maria reminded them.

"So Howard, Fury, Peggy, Pierce, Ross, Striker, Xavier, McCoy, Pym, the world council…" He said stopping to try to remember if he was missing anyone but waving it off it wasn't what was important. "They created a program called Project Earth Child, it was supposed to study the bonds from its creation into the human system to its effects on people. We don't know anything more than that" He said before adding. "Yet, not until we get our hands on Fury."

"Elisabeth…" Darcy started but stopped herself. "Lisa, she agreed to be a surrogate for Howard and Maria Stark because SHIELD learned that Stane wanted to …" She started but she couldn't say it, she knew it was important, and certainly the most important part of the story especially if any of them was able to help with the research for the truth but she, really, couldn't do it.

"Stane wanted to mess up the plan and make their daughter his and instead of stopping him SHIELD let…" But Pepper couldn't talk about it either and looking at the people around them, none of them needed her to, they got the picture pretty easily without it.

"Darcy?" Jane asked, her voice sad and Darcy knew the woman wanted to hug her, but if she started to crumble now they would never be able to finish this discussion and Darcy was glad to see that Thor had taken over, holding the scientist tightly.

"His plan didn't work." Maria affirmed exchanging a look with Tasha.

"No it didn't." Darcy admitted and Jane was starting to smile again so she kept going before her best friend made her want to hide the rest of it. "If I had either Howard Stark's DNA or Stane's in me JARVIS would have been able to tell us." She said and decided to stop looking at Jane altogether, though it looked like even Maria wasn't as strong as she thought she would be faced with those facts.

"Who?" Maria asked.

"We don't know who my biological parents are, but we know who messed up with the original plan." Darcy told them and she looked at Steve for help getting through with that.

"According to Lisa, Phil and Nick, HYDRA must have felt like Stane plan was good enough for them to hijack." Steve told them hugging Darcy a little tighter and kissing her head when she started shivering against him. This part still made her want to vomit the most.

Darcy looked around her and wasn't really surprised by what she found, Thor was holding Jane in one hand and Mjolnir in the other, Wade had decided to sit down playing with his knives, Logan kept growling though Darcy wasn't sure he was actually conscious of it, Pepper and Tony snuggled up against one another, and looked at her with only love in their eyes which made Darcy smile, Steve and Clint were both holding on to her, Natasha had crawled away from her place next to the couch to sit in between Sam's leg who was playing with her hair while looking at his friends with worry, while Maria and Rhodey grabbed the files Tony and Pepper had placed on the coffee table before Darcy came back into the room looking for something that would prove them wrong, or maybe just for something that could redeem SHIELD handing over parts of it to Betty, probably the parts about her father's involvement.

"Moving on?" Darcy suggested. "Please?"

"So you were always a Stark." Jane provided.

"Yes and no, it is the one and only time any of you will think of Howard and Maria as my parents." She informed them all. They might have wanted to be, might have been meant to be, but her life was complicated enough without having to grieve the life she never had.

"Then …" But Jane never finished her question.

"I adopted her." Tony announced proudly. "The day she was born." He added before saying. "Well, not really, because I was underage but I wanted to, and I had to wait 4 months to do it."

"Okay." They heard coming from half the room.

"Just like that? We tell you Tony adopted me 22 years ago and you're just okay with it?" Darcy asked curious.

"He left you with your mom so you wouldn't have to grow up being a Stark." Jane affirmed.

"It was a good security measure, especially with Stane involved." Maria confirmed.

"Even if he didn't know about that, he was 18, which meant his parents had just died and we all read the decadent life he lived back then." Sam kept going.

"Friend Tony did good hiding you. He must have kept an eye on you." Thor said and Darcy nodded vigorously. "Like any good father would."

They were all making Tony blush as he tried to hide behind Pepper who was having too much fun seeing everyone praise him to let him do it.

"You're probably the reason he didn't die in that cave so Thank you." Rhodey told her and she ended up being the one feeling like hiding her blush.

"I offered to adopt her too and she agreed." Pepper provided.

"They are going to get married." Darcy said cheerfully everyone taking some time to come over to congratulate them, even Bruce did it over the video feed.

"Is that all that happened?" Sam asked and Darcy was waiting for that, after all he had been the reason they were at the mansion in the first place.

"No!" She said pointing at him. "We came back here to say the truth and nothing but the truth."

"More questions?" Sam asked and Darcy nodded.

"But his time everyone gets to play." Darcy said. "And first I want to know. What are you doing here?" She asked turning to look at Logan.

"I came to help." He affirmed once again.

"So you keep saying and I am grateful, but if you want to stay you have to tell us the truth." Darcy told him.

"I want to understand." Logan admitted.

"Understand me?" Darcy asked confused. "Even I don't know enough to do that."

Logan nodded but then explained. "You smell different." He said and Darcy sniffed around herself making her friends laugh.

"It's not what I meant, my senses are heightened, I can smell things other people can't." Logan started to explain. "Normally, people have a singular scent, it only changes a little as they grow up but it's still recognizable, it's what makes me a good hunter." He said. "sometimes it gets covered by perfume, or scented shampoo, or soap but the underline is always the same, it's not something you can change at will." He explained.

"But? I can feel a 'but' coming." Darcy said looking over at him.

"Yours changes constantly, depending on who you are talking to, who you last hug, what you played with on you bonds, your scent evolves. When I met Natasha and you outside on the first day, I felt drown to it, but after Natasha let slip that she used to be able to hear you, you…" He stopped looking around pensively. "It's like your scent is trying to mingle with theirs to create a new one that would include all of them, but it's not working. Like a puzzle that would miss pieces, you can put it together but if you try to move it, it will fall apart."

"Oh!" Darcy said looking over at Thor.

"No more secret" Tasha called out on her.

"It's not a secret, not really, I don't know anything about it but I asked Thor about something similar." Darcy told her.

"Come on." Tasha insisted.

"I feel incomplete." She told them adding quickly. "Not in an unhappy way."

"Explain?" Tasha probed.

"You like guns?" Darcy asked but didn't wait for her answer. "Imagine that I get Tony to make you the perfect gun, it would be light, indestructible, the guard will fit into your hand as if it had been made especially for it, smooth as silk and leather mixed in. Now what if I tell you that none of the usual bullets will fit into it and that Tony will never create the ones that do. You will never be able to use it, not even test it. You can still work with all of your other guns, your bites, your knives and of course your skills in hand combat, but never that perfect gun." Darcy told her.

"Stop there, I never thought it would be possible, she is shivering." Sam told them.

"Well it's like I am the unloaded gun, I know that I could do extraordinary things if only I could be complete, but I am missing parts." She told them shrugging.

"How many?" Tony asked her, Pepper taking away his Starkpad where he had no doubt noted Darcy's definition of Tasha's perfect gun for later use.

"Told you two and a half." She said grinning.

"And again I ask 'and a half'?" Tasha inquired.

"Okay so I am missing two because there are supposed to be six of you like there are six stones." Darcy said looking over at Thor who nodded. "But one of them seems to have their own strange bond with someone else, not really a bond more like a link, I don't really know what it is but they are connected, and even though I am only bonded to one of them I feel both of them as if they were one." Darcy tried to explain as best as they could.

"If they are adult maybe they have a child." Bruce provided.

"Could be it yeah, sometimes it reminds me of Clint and Tasha. A family thing." Darcy told them. "They are so close I can't even tell you if they are male or female it all merges into one."

"What about the other one?" Sam asked.

"I don't know anything about them. Just that they are out there. Piper confirmed it, but I don't know anything more than that." Darcy said shrugging.

"No side effects?" Betty asked.

"Not that I am aware of." Darcy admitted.

"We'll keep an eye on it." Betty said and everyone agreed.

"What else did you learn?" Jane asked, her little scientist brain too curious for her own good.

"Is it okay if I show you instead of explaining?" Darcy asked making the Avengers laugh and the others look at them like weird creatures.

Darcy took a deep breath expending the shield to get all around them sharing happy feelings with all of them making both Jane and Sam gasp as the others look in awe at her.

"But we are not bonded to you." Maria told her.

"That one is more complicated." Steve admitted.

"That's where you need to either work with us or work for Fury, Maria." Darcy pipped in. "We would like it if you come work with us, be a liaison between Pepper, Steve and I, but you can't work for both, there are things happening here, with the team, with all of us, that can come back to SHIELD or to anyone outside this room." She explained. "You're allowed your own loyalties and if yours goes to Fury than it's okay, you can work security for the team, for the tower, from this level and bellows but you won't be included in those talks anymore."

"That's fair." Maria said taking a few minutes to think. "What if anything we discuss is relevant to Fury's investigation?"

"Well knowing he is currently investigating Me you follow the procedure before telling him, which means signifying us and advise us when you do, and what he tells you in return." Darcy informed her.

"And later?" Maria asked again.

"You are working with us if you think someone could help with a situation you can use your acquaintance or whatever, Rhodey does is too when we need the sky to be cleared out." Darcy told her.

"I am staying." Maria affirmed.

"Steve?" Darcy asked mentioning for him to go on.

"Darcy says that the bonds, all the 'normal' ones were the Tesseract way of thanking me for saving her. She wanted someone to find me." Steve said blushing.

"That's cute." Jane exclaimed before adding "Still doesn't explained what happened with Darcy."

"Oh I am connected to all the existing bonds in some way, protecting them for Tess. But I have this energy shield protecting me and it acts like a safe. You can place everything you want to protect into it but the safe can only keep the people out, if someone opens it, it can't just grab the culprit and hold on to him until reinforcement arrive. If it gets too hot in the safe, what's protected will be hot too, if you sink it, they will be wet too…" Darcy tried to explain as best as she could. "I protect not interact, not without actively wanting to, it's not at all like our bonds work."

"Okay. I guess." Jane told her shrugging, but Darcy could tell that their talk was far from over.

"Is there a reason Clint seems healed?" Betty asked sounding annoyed, which was understandable, she was a doctor and no one ever listened to her.

"I did that. It will never happen again, it was dangerous and stupid, and I put too many people at risk for something that was not fatal." Darcy recited, looking around them to see if she forgot something but facing only laughing people.

"Sounds kind of rehearsed." Betty said between laughs.

"Bruce made sure I would learn it by heart to be able tell it to you." She said shrugging.

"How did you do it anyway?" Logan asked sounding concern.

"I mixed the bonds together to get what I wanted. It was the goal of our trip, except I was supposed to learn how to mix up our human bonds and to heal Clint I used the one I have to the stones but that leads to a bad headache." Darcy admitted wincing when she remembered.

"Darcy?!" Tony quipped.

"Okay, fine." Darcy said and took a deep breath. "There are three kinds of bonds. The majority of them are what humans share since Tess fell into the water, she created them both to find her guardian, that's me, and the guardian's protectors, that's them…" She said pointing out the Avengers "… It wasn't supposed to affect everyone on Earth but she wanted someone to find not only her but Steve also so she used the super-soldier blood to up it." Darcy said looking around waiting for questions.

When she saw, that no one had questions she kept going. "The second kind are the ones I share with the Avengers and the two missing people." She said sighing. "They were meant to be and I guess if Schmidt hadn't killed everyone in Tromso we would have had people to explain how it works but as it is we only have guesses." She kept going.

"Those work easily enough, I can manipulate them if I want or need to, link them together so they would work in harmony or so one of them would be able to tell if someone was injured during mission, which was a very good idea…" She told Tasha, the other woman nodding for her to go on. "… It could totally work." She assured them.

"But you would have to cut yourself from us so you wouldn't end up at the infirmary after each battle and that's a no." Tasha objected.

"As I see it, as long as, you bring back Clint, everything will be fine." Steve told them.

"What if we leave for days?" Tasha kept going.

"You won't be in battle all of the time, you call I connect us together again and all will be fine." Darcy told them. "Plus it's only temporary, I'll learn to connect and disconnect at will, or only connect you to one another without modifying my part of it, it's what training is for." She explained. "It will be a learned skill, none of you just became perfect at yours in one night." Darcy protested.

"So you're going to train with us?" Clint asked.

"We can start with that yes." Darcy said nodding.

"Why are yours so different from the normal ones?" Betty asked concerned, Darcy tended to forget that she was one of the rare people around here with a 'normal' bond.

"First of all, technically, ours are the norm, yours are the anomaly." She said stucking her tongue at her.

"Second?" Betty insisted on smiling.

"The bonds were originally meant to protect the Tesseract and her protectors. It had been working just fine for thousands of years. Yes, even when she was stolen, before Schmidt and his technology, no one had ever been able to exploit her anyway." She explained. "But, and I think it's why it was so easy for Schmidt to use her, there is a new player, someone who I believe gave Loki authority over the Chitauri, your brother did tell you that someone else showed him the way?" She asked Thor who confirmed. "The stones were not just looking for a guardian each, like they usually do, they were looking for one they could all share so whoever it ended up being, so yeah me…" She said cheering on her own and pouting at it. "would have more powers to protect them all against the Boogie Man who wants to stole them."

"You never told us that." Clint told her.

"Well I didn't know it all until they started to yell at me." She said pointing at her head.

"Darce!" He complained.

"It's not like, we didn't know it already. I mean, I told you Tess feared something bigger than Loki when we were in Tony's lab." She told Clint before turning to Jane and Thor. "And the Elves did say that, we should give up because they were the lesser evil." Facing their confused stares, she reformulated. "They said that they wanted the Aether so it would protect them from something…" She said getting lost in her memories. "Tetanus, Athos… something like that." She informed them.

Looking up she was faced with incredulous faces. "What did I do this time?"

"I knew my lightning sister was of great Asgardian worth." Thor said, really, not helping.

"You understood what the Elves were talking about?" Jane asked.

"Well, duh, they were speaking English." Darcy told them.

"No they weren't." Jane countered.

"Of course they were, they kept speaking about 'Tatos something' and they said that we were really annoying, which, I mean it was kind of the point of our plan. I even heard one of them saying that killing Thor would be a bad idea because even with the Aether they might need Asgard and their stones as a first line of defense." She recalled.

"No they didn't." Jane repeated.

"Yes, they did." Darcy insisted. Feeling Clint nodding against herself she felt better thinking he was supporting her although he had never seen the Elves, at least not alive.

"Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out." Tasha told her.

"Thank you. I am sure there are videos, we were all over the library." Darcy told her nodding.

"Yeah, that is weird." Rhodey informed them.

"What now?" Darcy asked getting annoyed.

"JARVIS can you play back what Natasha said?" Pepper asked and JARVIS did.

"So?" Darcy asked them.

"How many languages do you speak?" Tony asked her.

"I don't know, English, French, Sokovian, Spanish, ASL. I wanted to learn more but well I never finished college." Darcy said shrugging.

"No Russian?" Tasha asked her.

"I would have if I had known you were Russian when I was growing up, like I learned ASL for Clint." Darcy told her contrite not understanding the point of this.

"Try an other one." Steve told Tasha and Darcy looked at him raising an eyebrow.

"I like having a baby sister." Tasha told her and it surprised Darcy, for Tasha to say something so personal and out of context in front of everyone, but Tasha didn't even look fazed by what she just did.

"I like having a big sister too." Darcy told her making her blush slightly this time. "Is someone finally going to tell me what's going on?"

"That first sentence it was in Russian, the second one in Farcy." Tasha informed her and Darcy looked up at Thor.

"The All Speak is usually shared among species I too can speak most of them though some of the Dialect are not included, I didn't understand what the Dark Elves talked about once in battle." Thor informed her. "Neither does the All Speak knows what Farcy is."

"It needs an upgrade. Vikings died a long time ago." Tony told him only half joking, Darcy was pretty sure if he could get his hands on the All Speak he would tweak it so it would include all the new languages probably even JAVA so people would be able to see JARVIS for what he was.

"Do you think it comes from the stones?" Darcy asked Thor but the God could only shrug he only had a limited knowledge of the ancient stones, they had been created millions of years before him.

"Maybe from the last bond." Betty suggested.

"…" Darcy wanted to say something but she couldn't find what it was, so she just closed her mouth shrugging.

"The third one?" Jane asked "What's the third kind of bond?"

"I hate scientists they are too focus." Darcy mumbled but no one took her seriously. "The third one is the one I share with the stones. I can hear Tess, talk to her, and she powers the shield that's protecting me. The Aether is helping with the manipulation thing, since it's what he's good at, creating the reality I want to see. The others want to meet me so they could interact too. I guess the more of them are found the more powers I will have." She explained. "It's all sweet and fun."

"Doesn't sound sweet and fun." Rhodey said at the same time Sam mumbled, "That's a load of crap."

"Hey, I don't know everything, I can only tell you what I know, so yeah it might not be the all truth but it's the one I know." Darcy yelled at Sam.

"Maybe the All-Speak is the reason only you can speak with it." Steve offered and everyone nodded so Darcy decided to go with it, after all it was as good a theory as any.

"There is more." Steve reminded her and everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"No there isn't." Darcy told him wondering what he was talking about.

"You said, you used the connection you have to Tess to heal Clint, by asking her to use her bond to me." Steve recalled.

"I did say that." Darcy said for a brief moment if it was really what happened and what it meant, at the time she had only thought about sleeping and about Clint and Steve not really about the rest of it.

"Rogue said when she uses her powers on someone a part of them stays with her." Clint provided.

"Oh! I know what you mean." Darcy suddenly cried out. "When someone touches the stones, if they don't die from it, which is the most likely scenario, they stay connected to them forever, the stone creating a new pattern to include them in a sort of reciprocating ownership." She explained.

"I didn't touch Tess but my blood did and she kept that connection." Steve said nodding.

Darcy had thought about that actually, the first time she talked to Tess, it was probably part of what kept Steve alive in the ice, thanks to a shield similar to mine, though she wasn't sure it was the right time to share that thought.

"I touched the Aether." Jane interrupted her thoughts.

"I know, but don't worry, you are part of the family everything will be fine." Darcy told her.

"I don't remember it that way, it almost killed me." Jane told her.

"It taught you a lesson in life. Don't touch glow-y strange stuff!" Darcy countered.

"If Steve can help heal people." Jane said. "What can I do?"

"Hum…" Darcy thought about it briefly but nothing she could link to the Aether or Jane had happened yet, not that she was aware of. "Being the best friend ever?"

"So you don't know?" Jane asked grinning but Darcy just shrugged, if anyone had thought about something they would have said something.

"Why did your little speech say that healing Clint was stupid and dangerous?" Betty asked.

"Oh, that's the triangulation thing. Like I am on Earth, we are all on Earth so if we use the bonds it might just tell people who are looking for the stones that something is happening on Earth, same goes if I use the stones on myself. But if I use them on a third person, or use a fourth person in the mix it might point a giant sign saying to bad guys, 'come here something you want to steal is happening' so not doing it again." Darcy explained as best as she could, she was a political major not a science one.

"What did you and Thor talk about when we landed?" Tony asked.

"SHIELD." Darcy told them. "They made me, they had promised not to study the Tesseract, they had parts of the Destroyer and they made weapons out of it, they used your designs to create deadly Hellicarrier and Steve said Fury was a 100% for it, as long as, it wasn't corrupted by HYDRA, but I am not for it at all." Darcy summarized. "So I wanted to know if they had anything more deadly they could play with." She said snuggling deeper against Clint.

"You found something?" Clint asked in more of a whisper than anything else. Darcy nodded but instead of telling him what it was she hid herself in the crook of his neck.

"Director Fury and I had a talk about the battle and about my brother's allies." Thor took over for her. "He was intrigued by the fight we had on the Hellicarrier and what had brought it on."

"The scepter." Tasha whispered.

"In truth, I allowed Director Fury and SHIELD to keep the scepter so it would be far away from my brother's grasp. I have no doubt SHIELD and HYDRA are studying it as we speak. It is what Asgardians would have done." Thor admitted sheepishly.

"So HYDRA has the scepter." Tony summarized, Darcy and Steve both paying more attention to Clint's lack of reaction to the news than to the news itself. They were the only one to know he still had nightmares of himself killing his loved ones eyes blue and mind totally taken over.

"We are going to get it back." Steve affirmed in his lowest Captain America voice, he wouldn't accept for anyone to second guess him, the scepter will be found and given back to Thor.

They talked about plans of action for a while, waiting for Bruce to come back to them. Thinking that Wade, Logan and Sam would look for Bucky full time, while the team would look for the scepter and Steve would be on both team depending on how good of lead each one had. Bucky would require human intel as well as JARVIS's access to the internet and to cameras all over the world. While the Scepter retrieval would require to find HYDRA, and to calibrate the gamma equation they had used for the Tesseract since the scepter was also emitting Gamma ray.

"Do I emit Gamma ray too?" Darcy asked curious and Tony and Bruce decided it was worth testing it.

"I still have a question." Jane told them when she got bored. "Why is Bruce hiding from us?"

"He is keeping a secret." Darcy said shrugging.

"I thought we were not allowed secrets anymore." Maria reminded them.

"Good point." Darcy admitted. "Bruce are you done yet?" She asked shivering with curiosity, she wanted to know what was so important Bruce asked Hulk to hide it for him.

"Yeah, I think I won't be able to find anything more." He said and closed the video feed. The lab was only one floor above them so it didn't take long for Bruce to show up. "I think JARVIS kicked me out of his data base when I was about to find the last part of the mystery." Bruce told them sounding annoyed, scientists never liked to get unanswered mystery, but hers were particularly vengeful.

"JARVIS, why would you do that?" Darcy asked him knowing how annoying the science three could be when that happened.

 _Doctor Banner was about to step onto some of Sir_ _'s private files._

"My files?" Tony asked. "What the hell did you find?"

"I was looking at the DNA data base of the Culver Facility, but I don't think Coulson took the time to read it before he brought it to us." Bruce informed them. "It wasn't just, the employees or the visitors' DNA that were kept on that Data Base. SHIELD, thanks to your father, had the most advanced technology there was and Culver's police department regularly sent them tests to do over crimes, which according to the dates on the files, lead SHIELD to also use the facility as a testing ground for their missions, so the data base also has the DNA of all the SHIELD agents, and probably HYDRA ones too." Bruce explained.

"Did you find my biological parents?" Darcy asked him not sure what she wanted his answer to be.

"It's only one part of what I found." Bruce told them confirming that he found the answer to her question but that he would take time to explain something else first giving her time to tell him to stop if she needed to. "All of our DNAs are on file, apparently since we step foot on the Hellicarrier, so we have to assume the filling was still going on." He announced.

"That's not what you hide about." Pepper assumed out loud.

"Your DNA is also on file" He told Darcy. "Marked down as his daughter." He said pointing at Tony.

 _I took the initiative to delete that information from Director Coulson_ _'s original file when Doctor Banner signaled it._

"Thank you, _J_ " Darcy whispered both knowing he would catch it and not sure her voice wouldn't waver if she had spoken any louder.

"So they knew?" Jane asked looking at Maria.

"I didn't, but I assume Director Carter helped with the process and when she resigned they could have found papers about it among the stuff that are automatically transmitted from one director to another." Maria explained not at all sounding like it was all there was to that story, but looking like she had no clue what else could have happen.

"Tell us." Darcy asked Bruce who looked at her for a long time before agreeing.

"Among the files, I found a report about a car accident, SHIELD and Culver police department had worked together on the investigation, all the names were blackened but they found some DNA that didn't belong to either of the passengers." He stopped there looking at the papers in his hands. "But it's…" Bruce stopped again. "The male DNA is related to yours." Bruce finally told them.

"So my biological father was in car accident. Did you find a name attached to it?" Darcy asked.

"No. They never filed one and I wanted to dig deeper but that's when JA…" Bruce explained but was interrupted.

"Stop." Darcy yelled at him suddenly understanding what it meant. "Stop talking." She said once again untangling herself from her boyfriends' grip. "Shut up." She said when she joined Bruce taking the papers away from him and looking at Tony, Steve and Tasha guessing that maybe Sam understood too when he tried to stand up to get to her. She read the paper then turned over, there were no names, but dates were visible. She throw them into the fireplace standing before it until it was all burned. She knew it was stupid, Bruce had found it on Phil's computer and from what Bruce explained JARVIS had copies but it felt good to see them burn.

"Darce!" She heard someone call behind her but she just left them all there and went for the elevator that thanks to JARVIS was already waiting for her.

She wasn't even mad for herself, or well a little, maybe a lot even, but she had found answers, she had found her family, she had… a real need to hide and maybe cry for hours.

But Darcy wasn't only thinking about herself. She had always been an empath; it wasn't something she got from the others. She always cared for them, her mother, her sister, Jane, more than for herself and this was going to take a lot of time to assimilate, to not make her want to find him and hug him until he would feel her love. She also wanted to protect Tony, she didn't want him to see that she cared for that man, that somehow she was glad he was her biological father even though for her it was a better outcome than what she had imagined the previous night.

But he deserved better. James "Bucky" Buchannan Barnes, had his life stolen from him, his memories too, he had lost Steve, he was made into the Winter Soldier, he had killed his friend Howard, and countless more, almost killed, Tasha and Steve a couple of weeks prior. He deserved to be found and to be freed from HYDRA so he could live his life find a nice partner, get a small white house with picket fence, have a kid or two. He certainly didn't need to have his DNA stolen, HYDRA making him a father without even telling him, and she didn't even want to think about how they managed to get that. Bucky, Tony, Pepper, Clint, Steve, they all deserve so much better than her.

Notes:

So for the people who would want clarification of the plot:  
Thanos has the gauntlet that is supposed to created an unbeatable power once he connects all the stones to it  
Darcy is the Human/Protector equivalant of that. Chosen then enhanced by the stones so they would stay free and be able to defend themselves.

Whoever collects them all first might win in the end...


	67. In the absence of Warmth

**In the absence of warmth.**

JARVIS had monitored Dr Banner discovery, adding the returning Avengers Intel into Miss Stark's database, perusing SHIELD's leaking information to try to find the scepter and calculating patterns and probabilities for each member of the household if Dr Banner was let to find out what he was looking for.

Ultimately though, Dr Banner hadn't needed to access Sir's personal files for it to create a problem, and that was why JARVIS hated for his charges to leave his sight the most, if he couldn't, he guessed the right word would either be spy or stalk, but he didn't feel like that, he was only protecting them as best as he could. They visibly had talked about the Winter Soldier's involvement with Howard and Maria Stark's death, JARVIS hadn't taken that into account. He needed to adjust quickly.

The first sign of something wrong happening had been Darcy asking for Dr Banner's silence. Then the relieved sighed she let out when she watched the printed papers burn. From then though, JARVIS knew what to do, he knew that her go to move was to run away and made sure that the elevator would be ready to take her away, closing it quick enough that no one would be able to follow her, not that anyone had tried to anyway.

" _J,_ please get me away from them." Darcy asked him.

 _I am afraid that would be an impossible task Miss Stark. I could lead you outside for you to run away but I would like to plead for you not to put yourself into any kind of danger._

"I don't want to run away." She admitted, which would have made JARVIS sigh happily if he was able to do so. "Isn't there somewhere in the tower no one ever goes to? I want to hide for a while."

 _Off course Miss Stark._ He told her taking her to center of the tower to the hidden floor where is main servers where kept safe, she would be able to hide there for a while since it was a restricted area, only meant for Mister Stark and JARVIS, even the bots were not allowed there.

"Please, don't call me that! I don't deserve it." Darcy told him taking him aback. She had been the one asking him to change her denomination right after the Quinjet landed.

 _I don_ _'t think either Sir or Miss Potts, will mind who your parental biology belongs to._

"But the Winter Soldier, he killed Howard and Maria, and Tony is already having a hard time with that, he will certainly never forgive me for being his daughter." She explained as she looked at the sealed door closing in behind her falling against it hunching on herself, her arms cradling her legs close to her, face hidden by her knees. "I stole Bucky's life away. I stole his chance to be a first time father…" She said staying silent for a while. "Oh by Thor, I stole Steve from him." After that she stopped emitting any sounds.

JARVIS didn't have enough information to counter what she said, he could bluntly say that it would never happen, that Sir would never hold her responsible for something she had no choices in, or that neither Sergeant Barnes or Captain Rogers would blame her for her relationship to the latter, but from previous attempt on several members of the team he knew that undocumented arguments wouldn't work to make her feel better.

"JARVIS, I think you should unlock the file." Sir told him back in the living area.

 _I would like to get the approval of all the person concerned by this, Sir._

"We all appreciate your discretion JARVIS but one of the concerned people, isn't going to talk for a while, and one of the other is not even here." Captain Rogers countered.

 _I would still feel more comfortable if at least Miss Stark would agree to it._ He had meant to follow her wishes and call her Miss Lewis once again but then they would ask question he was certain she didn't wish for them to have the answers to.

He got to it immediately, asking for her permission to share what she was hiding about with the rest of the household, she only shrugged nodding slightly, but JARVIS knew he wouldn't get a verbal answer out of her for several minutes, maybe even hours.

 _The file has been released._ He simply announced to the waiting Avengers.

He, then, watched as Sir put it on one of the holographic screen to show it to everyone, assuring Captain Rogers that he had known about the Winter Soldier's part in his parents' death since the Hellicarrier, he only didn't know who the Winter Soldier really was.

He hovered on both floor for a long while, overlooking his other duties, his priority protocols were to the Stark family, however extend it tended to be.

His focus went back solely on Darcy, when her vital dropped, not dramatically but with a pattern he recognized. It was something that happened before, several times in fact.

She was distancing herself from her bonds, the indicators were clear, though he was still trying to link them to the Avengers, trying to find any physiological sign on the end of their link. First her temperature dropped, only by one degree Celsius, but it was enough to alert him, making her shiver. Then her breathing changed, at first JARVIS thought she was crying but she wasn't, the diagrams he was getting from her reminded him of the one Sir used to have when he was still wearing the Arc Reactor. From there it all worsen, as he could actually see her loosing her grip on her knees slumping on the floor, whimpering as if in pain, either because the hard floor hurt her even though she didn't hit it with much force, or because of the cold.

JARVIS couldn't do anything about any those things, he wanted though, wished he was able to get to her, to hug her and warm her but it wasn't his purpose and he would have to find another way to help.

 _Miss Stark?_ But she didn't answer, thinking it was because he called her Stark he tried again with Lewis to no effect. _Darcy!_ He practically yelled, or as well as he could, considering his restriction, but that, at least, seemed to bring her back to reality.

"Hum! _J_?" She asked but it was enough for her or at least he hoped so.

 _Please allow me to lead someone to you._ He rarely asked for that kind of permission but Darcy, just as well as Sir, tended to hold a grudge and make the situation even worth if help was forced on her. Their protocols only allowed him to make the decision if they were in a life-threatening situation which wasn't the case. Yet!

"Okay." Darcy agreed nodding her head without stopping even though she had to know he had recognize her agreement. "Not the Avengers…" She told him slurring on the team name. "Logan." She asked and he executed himself.

 _Mister Wolverine, I would like for you to follow the blue lines, please._

"What's going on?" The man asked to the rest of the people present in the room.

"Darcy needs help." The three talkative Avengers told him at once, making JARVIS, both approve of their comportment, and re-evaluate the team's physical stats.

They didn't have any vitals dropping like Darcy's did but their behavior had changer, Agent Barton and Captain Rogers were snuggled up against each other, Agent Barton's hand hidden under his partner's sweat, holding on with tight finger that must have been painful to the other man's shirt. Agent Romanoff looked unaffected but her eyes were alternating between looking at the people in the room, and the place she hid her weapons in, at regular interval. Sir, himself, was deep into his own head, not even looking up from his computer when JARVIS had spoken to Mister Wolverine. He had hoped getting Darcy to feel better would make everyone feel better before the tight control Dr Banner and Dr Ross seemed to have on the Hulk loses its appeal.

"For JARVIS to ask it must be urgent, you should go find her." Miss Romanoff informed his intended target.

When he followed the collective request, JARVIS took him to Darcy, as quickly as he could, explaining to him what had happened and the state he would find the young woman in, pleading for their mutant friend to take a cover with him before he left the place.

Darcy was still freezing and whimpering on the floor when Mister Wolverine finally got into the room.

"What the Hell is going on in here?" He asked kneeling next to Darcy putting the cover over her body and when he still felt her shiver he decided to get her against him so that his natural body heat would help her.

 _It appears to be a common side effect of Miss Stark cutting herself off from the others._

"I have seen the effect of that before, at the mansion, but it wasn't that bad." He said staying silent for a few minutes. "Clint seemed to be helpful in this situation." He called out.

JARVIS was aware of that fact, and was ready to bet that the Avenger wasn't faring well either, he seemed to be needing her as much as she needed him but she wouldn't let him call for help.

"No Avengers." Darcy repeated before he could assure Wolverine that he was doing as best as he could.

"Darcy, they don't look that good either." He told her.

"Disgusted." She said humming to herself in agreement.

"Disgusted about what?" Wolverine asked her.

"Me!" Darcy protested at being questioned but the mutant had enough strength to keep her on his lap.

"Why would they be disgusted by you?" Wolverine asked while sniffing around her. "Your scent is all over the place, Darcy, you need to link yourself back to them."

JARVIS was grateful for the choice Darcy made, he was clearly the man for the task.

"Can't do it." Darcy told him.

"Can't or won't?" Wolverine probed.

"Won't." Darcy admitted "Gonna hurt them." She told him, starting to cry, finally. JARVIS was glad, she would usually feel better after she cried for a while, even though she would usually hide from everyone to do so.

"They would probably kill me for telling you that, but don't you think you're already hurting them right now?" He asked.

"Like you." She told him with what could pass as a smile.

"Come on Darcy, you smell sick, and something else, something deeper than your usual questioning." Wolverine kept going. "It's like your trying to disappear." He tucked her closer to him. "Rogers, disappeared, Stark did too for a while, Nat has been trying to for a long while before Barton found her. I lost all my memories, I am over a hundred but I only remember the latest 33 years and I was already an adult when it happened, Barton has been taken out of his mind and played with…" When Darcy reacted badly to that he held her tighter. "He is the one who told me over beers last time he came, from what Nat and Steve told me Barnes, if we ever find him…" Once again Darcy interrupted him.

"When" she mumbled and he acquiesced.

"When we find him, he might not remember who he is, who he was, or who he used to be." He kept going.

"Is there a morale to that story?" Darcy asked him.

"No one wants to just disappear Darcy, in fact most people want to be found, and accepted for who they are." He explained and JARVIS hoped it would work.

"Charles found you?" She asked.

"Actually, Rogue did but they all got me to stay, protecting me and each other." He told her. "You seem to have a good thing going on up there." He said gesturing to the upper floors. "don't think they would give up on you that easily."

"They would?!" She said but it sounded like a question though Wolverine elected to disregard it which was probably a good choice.

"I am a monster." She told him after a while. Wolverine shifted them until he could retrieve one of his hand from her.

"Does it make me a monster?" He asked showing off his adamantium claws. "Don't answer I already know what you're going to say." He told her. "You were already defending Mutants' rights when you started College according to Charles." He said and she stuck her tongue at him which was a good sign. "What if I told you Victor Creed is my brother?" He asked but once again didn't let her answer. "Oh, I know that one too, you would say what my brother did is not my fault and I shouldn't feel guilty for it." JARVIS was really starting to like the man and was considering upping his level of access to the tower. "I got one. What if I told you I killed dozens of men in the war following the orders of the man who I later let put the adamantium in me?" He sighed before she could answer. "Be careful if anything that comes out of your mouth sounds like you were following orders, you didn't know, you will be out of excuses not to connect yourself back to the others."

"Sniff me." Darcy told him rolling her eyes.

JARVIS took it as his cue to start monitoring her vitals attentively again, relieved when, apart from an elevated heart rate, she was better already, they were collected again.

"Good" Wolverine told her. "Like I said, I am really old. Mind if we get off the floor?"

"I don't think I am ready to get back upstairs." Darcy told him.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Wolverine told her.

"I want to." She affirmed. "But wanting and being ready are two different things."

"I know." Wolverine assured her. "But the people up there, they love you, they didn't seem upset at you when I left and I doubt that changed in the past hour or so." He said and JARVIS confirmed. "Although they do seem pretty vengeful on HYDRA and they might need you to tell them that it's a bad idea, they don't have enough Intel and they can't go blind." He explained.

"How do I do that?" Darcy asked him, though JARVIS doubt it would be that hard they would listen to her.

"You tell them that you need them, that they have more urgent things to deal with, that dealing with HYDRA isn't the Avengers' job, tell them whatever you want, it will help." He told her.

"Hum." She hummed for a while. "Okay, I'll try." She said trying to push the cover away from herself making the both of them chuckle.

JARVIS immediately opened the door, leading them to the waiting elevator, he elected not to tell the rest of them, just in case Darcy changed her mind about getting back to them.

"I don't want you to go after HYDRA." She said as soon as she stepped out of the elevator not even waiting to be faced with everyone. "Please?!" She said making sound like a question.

"What do you want?" Miss Potts asked her coming to her to check that she was okay and kissing her forehead when she found that the woman didn't seem sick.

"I want to find Bucky." She said avoiding Sir's eyes. "And the scepter." She nodded at herself. "When you find them both you can go help SHIELD, the FBI, the CIA and a bunch of other letters fight against HYDRA."

"Can I do both?" Assistant Director Hill asked followed by Colonel Rhodes soon after and Darcy nodded, JARVIS filling that information into their files.

"Whatever you want Darce." Captain Rogers told her reaching out for her.

But Darcy didn't go to him. Instead she staid very still, away from all of them, away from the people who were all vibrating with the need to hug her, getting her close.

"Darce? Are you okay?" Miss Romanov asked and Darcy shook her head but when Agent Barton started to stand up she gestured for him not to, soon closing her arms around herself.

"Tell us what you're thinking!" Miss Potts told her, adding "Please?!"

"I just…" She started and then stopped to look around. "HYDRA, they stole all his life from Barnes, and now they stole me too." She told them but shook her head when Miss Potts was about to talk again, telling them that she wasn't done. "I don't…" She stopped again. "It's not like I wanted this to happen, actually I think I rather you told me Pierce, or Rumlow was my biological donor then I could just hate the all process, all the while thinking I did something good being me against all odds. But this…" She kept going "He is your friend." She told the captain, "You two used to be together." She said without realizing that everyone was suddenly looking at Captain Rogers, making JARVIS think that it used to be unknown information.

"I am sorry." She said when she finally realized.

"It's okay, we'll talk about this later." Captain Rogers told her "keep going."

"He was Howard's friend too, and he seems like he used to be a great guy, would have come home at the end of the war, and you, him and Peggy would have found a way to get a family, have kids, that were not me." She said sighing.

"But then HYDRA stole him, and made the Winter Soldier out of his body and they had the soldier kill Howard and that was awful enough." Darcy kept going as if anyway no one would have been able to stop her. "But recently they tried to make him kill you and Tasha…" She said looking at them before adding "And Sam, though he doesn't really know you."

"He doesn't know Tasha either." Agent Barton pipped up.

"Yeah?" She said looking at Tasha raising her eyebrow at her. "Want to take that one over?"

"Hum." Miss Romanov hummed and JARVIS was surprised to hear her do it, she was usually so forward about things.

"Bucky and Jimmy are one and the same, aren't they?" Darcy asked her again.

"How do you even know that?" Miss Romanov asked blushing.

"He is not dead." Darcy pointed out, and if JARVIS had been paying attention and knew who Jimmy was he might have come to the same conclusion.

"I didn't kill a lot of people." Miss Romanov told her rolling her eyes at Darcy.

"And yet you didn't deny it." Darcy told her smiling for the first time since she entered the room.

"Fine, he was. Happy now?" Miss Romanov asked her.

"No, it makes it worst not better, Tasha" She growling at her, frustrated that they wouldn't understand. "First they stole him from Steve, then from you, and 22 years ago they took me away from him, and I don't know how to deal with that." Darcy told them.

"Somehow I think that's not true." Dr Banner finally said.

"I want to hug him until whatever HYDRA did to him is gone." She admitted sitting on the floor or more accurately letting herself fall on the floor. "But it feels wrong." She explained, looking at Tony. "It wouldn't take away anything. We don't even know how to take HYDRA out from him, Phil said they have proofs he saved Steve from drowning, and according to Wade, Buddy and JARVIS, he didn't go back to them after that, so clearly Steve can make Bucky come back or at least the part of him that wants to protect his friend, but I don't think we should ever tell him about all this, it could destroy whatever he managed to get out of his break out from them."

"What?" Dr Foster asked. "I am sorry but that was a lot of crap."

"Jane!" Darcy chastised her.

"I stand by my statement." Dr Foster kept going. "You're a force of nature, you manage to keep us all alive and happy mostly on your own, no offense to Betty and Pepper…" The two women just waved her off "You, Steve and Clint are probably the most capable person in this situation." When everyone gasped around her she explained her thoughts. "Steve, he knows from his old life as Bucky, apparently more than any of us knew but still." She explained. "With Clint they can share knowledge of being brainwashed by crazy people who wants to rule the Earth." She said and didn't even blink or look at the others before going on. "But it's you who can do the most…" At this she looked around waiting for someone to agree it seemed but everyone was staring at her with a curious glance.

JARVIS had to admit he was curious too, most of the time the female scientist was so engrossed in science that she wouldn't even see the treats kept placing on her desk, some other times she would be the ultimate girlfriend to their resident caretaker, but when around the others, and unless asked a direct question she wasn't all that talkative.

"Yeah, okay, they used him to make you, and that's bad, kind of feels like raping bad, because I don't think they asked for his consent and even if someone did they probably erased it from his mind afterward." She kept on not looking around. "but now you are here and you are pretty amazing and everyone here loves you…" She said and didn't pay too much attention to the variation of acquiesces or snort the others through at her.

"I still don't get your point." Darcy told her playing with her hand looking down on her knees.

"You are the one good thing that came out of all what HYDRA did to him." Mister Wilson told Her. _(Which you can take as either Sam or Wade it's the same)_

"I am not good enough to out weight all the bad." Darcy admitted after everyone stayed silent for a while.

"The Infinity Stones don't seem to agree with your statement, little Darcy." Prince Thor told her and it made Darcy smile a little.

"I'll share." Sir said sitting next to her and bumping their shoulders together.

"Share what?" Darcy asked him.

"You!" Sir explained as if it was obvious. "My Fatherly duties, I mean you are a handful, and Pepper and I can't always be there, if we can get Bucky back, even if he is not entirely the same, as long as he is not the Soldier, I am willing to share." He kept going. "But you have to promise to not try to hug HYDRA out of him."

Darcy looked at him with wide eye. "I have this arrangement with Bruce and Hulk already." She told him but it sounded like an automatism not an agreement.

"I mean you have two mothers, two boyfriends, you can have two fathers too. But you have to promise not to call him Dad before me." He said and she nodded.

The Avengers and Sir seemed to have a handle on what was happening so JARVIS went back to concentrate most of his data on looking for their target, Sergeant Barnes and the Scepter.


	68. A story of Time

**A story of time.**

Steve, Darcy and Clint left the common floor without too much trouble, people too engrossed into the planning and theorizing they had been doing for hours already, or simply knowing they needed time alone.

What surprised Steve though was that JARVIS didn't take them to their floor. Not that Steve would complain, he liked that the AI knew them so well they didn't need to speak to him to get what they wanted, or in this case where they needed to be. Don't get him wrong he would have enjoyed getting back to their floor, but JARVIS had been right it wasn't where he needed to be right now. Maybe him not saying a single word in the past hour sure had helped their caretaker, but still Tony's creation was impressive.

"The gym?" Darcy whispered but it wasn't meant for him, she was leaning on Clint who was leaning against the cart of the elevator.

"I'll find us a cover to stay under." He told her as an explanation.

"I…" Darcy started again this time clearly meant for Steve as she spoke louder but she stopped herself and from the corner of his eyes he watched her nod into Clint's neck snuggling closer to him.

They would give him that, and he was grateful, but he loved them so much for understanding why he was doing this. He was so angry, he needed to get to the gym to blow off some steam, maybe destroy a few of those improved bags Tony made him, but he couldn't leave them out of his sight either. In fact, he felt like he would never be able to leave them out of his sight again which he knew he had no choice over.

Steve went to the locker, blocking the door so it would stay open, took one of the cover Bruce liked to hide himself in after a mission if he had to Hulk-out and loose his clothes, and brought it back to Clint and Darcy. He, then, watched as Clint led her to sit against the ring, just behind his spot in front of the punching bag, from where he stood wrapping his hands, Steve had a perfect view of them thanks to the mirror Tasha had asked for.

He stayed silent but they didn't seem to care, Darcy took her time to process Bruce's news, and they knew he would need some time too. Darcy even waved at him from her spot against on the floor loved against Clint who was hugging her tightly.

Steve started to punch the bag, hitting it harder than he ever had before, but he needed it right now, he was furious, at HYDRA for what they did to Bucky, at Fury and Peggy for looking the other way, for approving what was done to Howard and Darcy.

It wasn't just that though, he was furious at himself for dropping Bucky from the train, all over again. He knew that Zola had experimented on his friend back in Germany, that Bucky probably already had the serum back then, it was the only way he had been able to survive the fall, the Winter Soldier had been their plan all along.

Steve kept hitting, berating himself, he needed to clear his head. Darcy seemed to think that she had stolen Bucky's future from him, but what hurt the most was that she still seemed to think Steve would go back to Bucky without a second thought about it.

He needed for her to understand that it was different, all of it, not just because he took a nap for 70 years and had no choice but to move on.

Sure he loved Bucky, they had been best friends since they were 5 and when he first felt attraction or love it had been toward his best friend. But time was different, they knew they would never be able to have what other people had, to love one another in public, they couldn't even tell their families. Then he met Peggy, and everything became simpler, if only Bucky could love her too they would be able to live like so many other did, it would still be a lie, but at least they would be together and no one would question it, no one would be scared for them anymore.

Bucky would probably have agreed to this plan even if Peggy hadn't been, well Peggy, full of life, smart, sassy. But Bucky never loved her, not like Steve wanted him to, they were friends, and in some ways Clint and Tasha reminded him of them, always knowing what the other will do, what the other wanted, and they would have agreed to live together if Steve had asked, he had no doubt about that. But it hadn't been perfect, what he shared with Clint and Darcy was perfect.

And anyway, since he met them he realized that the feelings he had for Peggy and Bucky had been true and he would cherish them forever, but it was also childish, a first love, he fell for the first people who were caring about him when he was still scrawny and sick, thinking for a long time that the people who had been interested in his enhanced body after that, the people he had sex with while touring, would never even look at that little guy.

With Clint and Darcy, it wasn't just that they knew him so well they didn't care what he looked like, taking care of him just as much as Bucky and Peggy had when he was small and weightless. On more than one occasion they had yelled at him for getting hit, or getting reckless in battle, even though it was while taking his Captain America's suit out of him so they could caress his skin watching as his body healed himself up, making it all and healthy again. It was like they could see what he used to look like under all those muscles, and they were still awed by it.

But the biggest differences were that, for one, in the 10 months since he met them, not once had he felt the need to go to a bar and flirt with anyone else, not even before Darcy and her PR team exposed them to the public, it never even occurred to him to do it. He had done it with Bucky and Peggy, or more accurately before Bucky and Peggy, while he was touring and they both were in Europe.

Second, with Bucky and Peggy, it was war, and they were in the middle of it, rarely having time to see each other in private, but from time to times they had hours of free time together, spend walking, exploring the country they were in, kissing, yeah a lot of kissing him went one, but Darcy made him realize earlier that not once had they talked about the future, not together anyway. Not that they thought they would never come back from war, though it was probably ingrained in their brain, but they talked about how Steve would probably have to stay in NY or DC, because the government would never let him leave, or about how Peggy wished she could find a way to make the males she was working for realize how valuable she was, but Bucky kept silent every time, Steve had thought that he didn't want to jinx it, now he realized he just never believed he would come back home, having every intention to sacrifice himself to protect Steve if he had to.

Not that this realization wasn't important but it wasn't what Steve was the most proud about, now, what filled him with warmth instead of cold was that, his lovers, the one he could see now observing him, well Clint was observing while Darcy had fallen asleep, making him wonder how long it had been, he never doubt even for a second that he would spend the rest of their lives with them, Darcy telling them that Thor had a way for them to get married was one of the best news he ever heard, along with that time she told them she asked Bruce if Steve's children would inherited his genes or the serum one, she even was sad when Bruce said he couldn't tell her, because she wished the serum wasn't an issue, they had ways now to cure almost every sickness he had as a child and she wanted Steve Rogers' kids not Captain America's. Those were in the top five with each of their 'I love You' and Bucky being alive.

They were the real deal for him. Clint and Darcy. He didn't want anything else, or anyone else. But he wanted to find Bucky, help him, tell him Darcy, his Darcy was Bucky's daughter, not the Soldier's, show him how caring and loving she was, how smart she was, Bucky would be so proud of her.

But Bucky wasn't Bucky anymore, and Darcy was right, it was probably a bad idea. At least until they could make sure Darcy wouldn't be in any danger, not from the Soldier, he had saved Steve, came to protect the tower from Hydra while he was out, he would protect Darcy, but if HYDRA found a way to get him back, if they learned about Darcy's existence, they would kill her, or torture her, they would use her to make the Soldier obedient, make him kill all the Avengers, to protect her, then they would probably try and give her the serum if they still had any, try to make her what he was, and they would find out about her powers and…

He forgot what he was about to add to his list when the bag he was hitting flew to the other side of the gym breaking the wall, and the mirror. Steve felt heavy, tired, and more than anything, not better at all, but at least he didn't want to hit something anymore, the anger somehow elevated at least enough for it to safe to go back to their floor to talk now, his brain clearer.

When he turned around Darcy and Clint were looking at him, but they were amused, not scared and that appeased him even more.

"Was it helpful?" Darcy asked him and Steve shrugged. "Can I try?"

"I thought your thing was to run away?" Clint asked her.

"I don't run anymore, I hide, maybe this is the next step." Darcy explained getting up. "I want to try."

Steve went to retrieve another bag while Clint was bandaging her hands.

"You take it slow, we only have reinforced bag so be careful." Steve told her, his voice breaking in the middle of it, it was the first time he spoke in hours so no surprise there, but Clint was next to him with a water bottle in no time and the cold water was soothing.

Steve realized that maybe he didn't need to speak to say thank you and leaned in to kiss Clint but when he was about to do the same to Darcy he was surprised to see her walk away from them.

"So how do I do this?" She asked and they explained it to her.

"This one is for me." She said hitting the bag where she wrote HYDRA in big letters after JARVIS had provided a Sharpie pen.

She kept going, for each punch and each kick she told them the reason. Howard, Tasha, Steve, Tony, Clint, Stane, Lisa, April, Ross, Betty, Bruce… She even kicked it once for Hulk just because Ross made him sad when he was always nice with them, she explained to them.

Then she started landing more and more punches onto it without explaining herself. Clint and Steve exchanged worried glanced when she started to knock it so hard the bag started swaying when it didn't even move before.

"Darce?" Steve ventured.

"They destroyed Bucky's life, they took him away from us, from me." She said still hitting the bag. "He was a good person and good person don't deserve that, if they wanted a soldier to follow their orders blindly they should have asked one of their crazy minions, I am sure Rumlow would have jumped on that offer to be the perfect HYDRA tug they didn't need Bucky." She kept going and Steve and Clint looked closely as the bag swayed more and more. "They ordered him to kill you even though they knew you were his best friend, he recognized you but they kept on pushing, they forced him to have me…" She said and stopped there looking at the flying bag which went to join the one Steve had sent away on the other side of the locker wall.

There was one noticeable difference though. One that made Darcy look at her hand for a long time while Clint and Steve eyes kept going back and forth between her and the bag.

What differed was the blue ray that accompanied the bag all the way to the wall, the blue ray that looked a lot like the one coming out of HYDRA's weapon, the same as they witnessed coming out of Loki's scepter, the blue ray that came straight out of Darcy's hand. Darcy who was now hiding her hands behind her back.

"What was that?" Steve asked her.

"Don't know." She said shaking her head looking away.

"I think you do." Clint insisted. "Did it happen before?"

Darcy only nodded still not looking at them.

"When?" Clint probed.

"When we were fighting the Dark Elves, one of them was about to kill Jane from behind, and it just happened." Darcy explained shrugging.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Steve asked her.

"I thought it was a hallucination." She told them. "I never… It never happened before and it's only the second time." She said looking at her hands again.

"Are you hurt?" Steve asked her moving to take her hands and glad when she let him touch her.

"Not my hands, no." She told him letting herself lean against him for a hug her forehead against his chest, so he hugged her. "I am so angry, I don't know how to make it go away."

"What do you usually do?" Clint asked her, seconds before Steve did. Because Darcy was regularly angry, when one of them get hurt, when someone on the news said the Avengers were useless, when someone tried to say Bruce was the propriety of the government, when she found out about HYDRA and Bucky, when she found out about her mom but they had never seen her this vibrating with hurt and anger.

"Hulk." Steve suddenly realized. "He was in the US when the Elves attacked, and I am guessing you cut yourself out of him so Bruce wouldn't turn while you were with Logan." Steve said and Darcy nodded agreeing. "He is usually the one who calms you, you said he takes away what would make you look as a monster."

"You're not a monster." Clint added and Steve nodded his head resting on top of hers.

"Do you know how it happened?" Steve asked, because they needed to make sure it she was safe.

"Angry, hurt…" She told them looking up at them. "I just wanted it out of me, I wanted to make the thing that hurt disappear." She said making the three of them look down at the bag, the HYDRA sign burned down.

"Are you ready to listen to me?" Steve asked her.

"Is it going to make me angry?" She asked taking her hands away from him.

"I hope not." He assured her kissing the top of her head. "I want to find Bucky, and bring him here." He said and kept going, grabbing Clint's hand blindly to tug him to them and make sure he was included in the hug and in what he was going to say. "Bucky's been my best friend all my life, and when he died I was so sad that I voluntarily send the Valkyrie into the water, I could have told Peggy where I was, Schmidt had a system that looked like a GPS but I didn't." He explained. "I don't regret it, it led me to the two of you and I love you so damn much…"

"That's because I have Bucky's DNA." Darcy mumbled and Steve pushed himself away holding her chin up so she would look at him.

"I am not proud of that because, it could seem creepy, but you, being Bucky's daughter only makes it better." Steve tried to explain. "You're not him, you're you and you are so freaking perfect, and beautiful, you have his DNA but it doesn't make you him." He sighed frustrated. "It would be so much easier if you knew what I am trying to explain." He told her. "In my mind it's not even a question so I don't know how to explain it, it's like when I look at Tony, I never see Howard, of course from time to time he will do something that would remind me of his father but they are so different from one another."

"I could…" Darcy said and stopped herself nibbling at her lower lip.

"Whatever you want to do Darce do it I trust you." He said and looked up at Clint. "We trust you."

"Do it." Clint confirmed.

Steve should have seen that coming, the shield surrounding them suddenly, he was even surprised she didn't do it while he was plummeting the punching bag. All he could think about though was how Darcy looked like as a baby, imagining Bucky running after her, with Peggy laughing at them, but somehow it felt very wrong, because somewhere in his mind, it meant loosing Clint and Darcy. Replacing Bucky and Peggy with Pepper and Tony felt so much better, Darcy could be his if she was their daughter, Clint could be in his arms while they watched laughing at something Tony said and Bucky would agree, he would wish for Steve to be happy, he would be so proud of what Steve built in this century. All they needed to do was find him, so they could include him in that scene, so Bucky could be there to tell him what a punk he was for being such a sap around them, tell him that it was just like him to fall for a sniper, acting like a child most of the time.

Steve felt two pairs of arms hugging him tighter and came back to the present looking down at Clint and Darcy, to be faced with happy smiles. So leaned down to kiss them both, happy when Darcy let him do it.

"I want him to be proud of me." Darcy told them and Clint laughed so hard it made Darcy's chest vibrate against Steve. "Hey, that's not funny." Darcy pouted.

"You're so bad at this baby." Clint told her kissing her neck.

"I could be better, he deserves better." Darcy explained.

"If you get any better, Thor's going to have to ask his father to make you a goddess." Steve told her making her stick her tongue at him. "Tony and Pepper seem to think you are already the perfect daughter, why do you want to be even more perfect?" He asked her.

"Because I am not giving you back." She admitted hiding her blush into his shirt.

"Good." He told her kissing Clint over her head. "There no one I'd rather be with."

"He was your first love." Clint said his voice wavering.

"He was Tasha's too." Darcy said putting a hand over her mouth as if she hadn't meant to say it.

"Then he'll find people who care for him at home after we convince him to follow us." Steve told them. "That will be good for him."

"What if he wants you back?" Clint asked him.

"He'll understand, he'll be happy for us." Steve affirmed.

"Is he going to try and kill us if he is still the Winter Soldier when you find him?" Darcy asked.

"No, I don't think so." Steve told them and he believed it. "He came here, while I was away, it was protocol back with the commando, whenever we were in enemy territory if one of us had to sleep or go away to scout or take a piss, the other had to look over the team. He would never have hurt them."

"Oh so, you go away he comes to take care of us and we send Tasha to convince him to come home." Darcy offered and it made Steve grin she was amazing.

"That won't work." Clint wasn't bad himself, the amazing Hawkeye sure deserved the title.

"Why?" Darcy growled.

"Because he had time to assess the tower and our protocols, he knows we never leave civilians unprotected, even if all the Avengers were needed, you'd still have Maria and Tony's army of bodyguards." Clint explained. "The best way to keep everyone safe is to destroy HYDRA."

"How do you…?" Darcy started but then sighed turning around her back to Steve her front to Clint. "You are NOT going after HYDRA, you still have a broken leg." She told him walking on his other foot just for good measure.

"Come on Darce, I want to help, I need to protect you too, I need to make sure you'll be safe, You, Steve, Tasha, and Bucky." He told her Bucky's name almost stuck on his throat.

"I am sorry." Steve told him tugging them tightly against him. "I didn't think about how you might feel about him."

"He is going to wake up from 70 years of brainwashing to find out that he lost you, because of us." Clint told them a tear running down his cheek.

"Because of HYDRA not you. You did nothing wrong, actually you tried really hard not to, you gave me time to grieve, you sent me to talk to Peggy, you waited until I was ready to move on." Steve told him.

"No, I didn't, I flirt shamelessly." Clint said trying to get away from them.

"You were bad at it. Both of you." Darcy said rolling her eyes.

"You flirted with Darcy too, and you loved her already and yet until we told you it was okay to go for it you kept your distance, didn't say anything, didn't try anything, you just made sure we were happy, comfortable and safe." Steve told him kissing his forehead.

"Doesn't really make this better. Bucky was the one who kept you safe a century ago." Clint retoured.

"We are both different in this century." Steve told him moving one hand away from his waist to brush the tears that were rolling on his cheek. "In this century, my preferred flavor in sniper is blond, clumsy, with the most beautiful eyes I never saw, and an aim no one can compete with, especially when he is holding me…" Steve didn't get to finish his sentence though but since Clint shut him up with a kiss he was still happy with the result.

"I want him back." Steve said when they parted, making sure his voice was clear and firm. "But I don't want to go back to him."

He felt both of his lovers nodding against him and smiled at himself holding them silently for a while.

They staid like that for a long while, only moving a little so Clint would be able to lean more weight on Steve without crushing Darcy between them, they kissed lazily, whispered words of love, simply waiting for the right moment to go back to the reality that was waiting for them outside of the Gym, even the tower wasn't a serene place for them anymore, a dozen people waiting for them upstairs to tell them what to do and where to go.

"Guys, I am feeling angry again?" Darcy told them holding her hands away from them just in case.

"We should get Wade and Logan down here, you could try sparing with them, they would be safe." Steve offered knowing that she would never agree to leave him be the one to try and make her angry enough for a repeat of the earlier events.

"Can't you find me someone from HYDRA instead? I feel like that would help." Darcy told them.

"Do you want to try Hulk?" Clint asked.

"No, I want to own my anger, it's mine I deserve it." Darcy affirmed, and it was the first time they ever saw her do something for herself not going for one of them. "Plus, if I don't deal with it now, we all know how it's going to end up, I am not sure we could risk me having an adrenaline drop, in the middle of this clusterfuck."

So, Steve was wrong it wasn't for her, at least not entirely, some of it was so they wouldn't worry about her, she was still Darcy after all.


	69. Safe Trigger

**Safe trigger.**

It was hard, she would never deny them that, and Steve was right, if they wanted to test whatever this new thing was she needed someone she wouldn't want to protect no matter the risk for herself. Not that she wouldn't want for Logan or Wade to be safe, but she knew that they were both immortal nothing she would be able to do could kill them, even though her mind was already going into that place were sadness, pain and death were close enough, that for her, they were on the same line of what she would or won't do to another human being. Or an animal. Or a plant.

Okay so she was bad at making people unhappy and good luck to anyone who would try to convince her that Logan and Wade would be happy about playing guinea pigs.

But she didn't really have a choice either. She hadn't lied to Clint, she didn't want to just go hug Hulk and make her anger disappear because it would be back and it sure as Hell wouldn't be pretty. Plus, she had a suspicion that after the news on HYDRA and Bucky they would soon discover that those were only the tip of the iceberg, they still had Titus – she swore the Elves said his name but she just couldn't remember it, she had other things to think about at the time- to find, and someone who could scare the stone terrified her.

If that wasn't enough, she needed to help find Bucky and the scepter, well mostly the scepter, because she couldn't actually be helpful in their search for Barnes, she didn't know a lot about finding people, even less about people who were trying to hide from super bad agencies and super heroes. What she did know anyhow was administrative labyrinth, and political lobbying, she knew how the WSC worked and SHIELD protocols, she could help Maria and JARVIS while they looked for the scepter.

Thor should have taken that with him back in Asgard, it was their responsibility. Most of all what hurt though was that Fury and SHIELD never seemed to learn. They had the Tesseract and decided to test it, exploit it, it had almost killed millions, destroyed the world, but, yet, given the opportunity they jump on Thor's offer to keep Loki's scepter on Earth, even after it almost killed Coulson, after what that thing had done to Clint.

"Guys?" She couldn't even enjoy a sweet little moment with her boyfriends anymore. "I am getting angry again." She told them when she felt the energy from the shield, usually surrounding her, crawling under her skin.

"Change of location?" Steve asked, always the man with a plan.

"No, the only room with more reinforcement is the Hulk Room and we don't know if that thing" she said holding up her hands "is going to reverberate on those walls. We already destroyed one of the walls in here, I bet Pepper would prefer it if we could keep the remodeling to one part of the tower at a time." Darcy told him. Because yes, she had thought about it, not for this specific circumstance but she had seen what the stones were able to unleash and she had thought about the best place to keep them if they ever had to hide or protect any of them again.

"Who are we telling?" Clint asked.

"Everyone." Darcy breathed out. " _J_ send the video of what I did to everyone, please." It was the fastest way to get them all down there.

 _Do I include your two guests or do you want to talk to the residents first?_

"Two guests?" Steve inquired but more to Darcy than to JARVIS knowing that she was the one who made the ultimate decision about that kind of things.

"Yes, _J_ including them." Darcy informed him before answering Steve. "Wade and Logan, that's two, who do you think is missing?"

"What about Sam and Rhodey?" Clint asked.

"Rhodey had his own floor on the original designs just like me, and I gave Steve's floor to Sam." Darcy said and watching Steve mouth agape, she laughed at him. "I know he _thinks_ he is going back to DC but he made a big target out of himself when he volunteered to go after HYDRA, if Maria and I have our way, he isn't going anywhere, bearing missions of course."

"Have I told you I love you recently?" Steve asked her and she grinned at him.

"It's been what?" She asked looking at Clint, "Half an hour?" Clint nodded, "Is that recent enough?" Clint shook his head at her, all the while blushing deeply and nibbling at his lips, which was not one of his habitual tells of nervousness but was pretty much flashing, 'please stop talking before I start laughing'. She loved it when they could be childish like that.

"You heard our man, half an hour is too long. I am waiting." She told Steve taking the time to kiss Clint.

"I love you." Steve told Darcy kissing the top of her head, before doing the same to Clint, "I love you."

Darcy look at Clint and grinned nodding swiftly, "We love you too." She said and both Clint and herself kissed Steve's cheeks at the same time.

"Is that what you call us down here to witness?" She heard after a deep groan knowing Tony was hiding his eyes behind his hand without even looking back at him.

"Don't be that kind of Dad Tony." Tasha told them but still seconded his question with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought…" She started to say but then sighed. " _J_ , you didn't show them?"

 _Miss Potts and Miss Romanov where on the lower levels. Sir and Dr Banner were in their lab. I thought you would prefer for me not to cause any incident._

"Thank you, _J_." Darcy whispered to him.

"Okay, I have a question, is there any chance I'll ever get any sleep in this crazy house?" Sam asked when he came in.

"Hum." Darcy said and for the first time the trio looked around them, it had been fairly early in the afternoon when they came down to the gym and apparently none of them had realized exactly how long they stayed down there because it was pitch dark outside. "Sorry. _J_ why didn't you tell us? It could have waited until morning."

"Like anyone here keeps a sleeping schedule." Maria pointed out. And she was right, as much as she was sorry for waking Sam once again, someone was bound to be asleep even if they had waited for lunch to ask for their help.

"What is going on Honey?" Pepper asked but Darcy looked past her where Tony was prodding at the dead punching bags.

"Hit them so fast your first caught fire?" Tony asked Steve when he felt eyes on himself. "I do approve the design though."

" _J_ , now would be a good time." Darcy insisted and this time JARVIS pulled up one of the hologram screens to show Darcy destroying the bag tony had been interested in.

"That's…" Sam started.

"Actually…" Bruce followed.

"Not unexpected." Tasha finished Bruce nodding next to her, almost making Darcy laugh at them but she was too curious about their reaction to waste time on that

"Wait, what do you mean you expected it?" Darcy asked them, but before they could answer she sighed rolling her eyes at herself. "Oh yeah you mean the anger."

"Nope?" Tasha said managing to make it sound both like an affirmation on her part and as a question to Bruce.

"Nope." Bruce repeated and Betty followed.

"How did you…?" She said but shook her head trying again "You were waiting for it to happen?"

"Yes." Resonated so loud around her that she had to make a head count to see who had agreed.

"Pepper?" She asked because honestly she was the one who surprised her the most, the mutants, super heroes, scientists, God, were used to this.

"You said it yourself, you are meant to guard the stones and they are supposed to protect you." She said looking at the Avengers, "Up until now all I saw was you protecting them." She said shrugging. "I mean it's a good thing but it was not what you were meant to do. You have the shield as a last defense, though we still have to see it protect you from anything and not be used as a way for you to keep things inside. But this is not about that, it would be logical to also have something offensive especially with all the stones involved."

"Are you trying to find a logic in this?" She asked her a little bit worried because Pepper was right, it only made sense for her to have means to protect herself just in case she wasn't around the Avengers when something bad happened, it was why she still had Sparky in her purse after all, though she hadn't seen her purse in a long while.

"That's my job." Pepper told her with a smile.

"So what do you want from us?" Bruce asked.

"I want to get rid of my anger." Darcy told him. "Without Hulk."

"Oh!" was all the man retoured.

"I love you both, but Hulk isn't always next to me, sometimes we might be somewhere or in front of someone the change can't happen and it certainly can't end up like that either." She said pointing at the deceased punching bag.

"It's not like it's the first time you get angry." Sam said not really caring about the glares he got in return.

"This is different. It might not be healthy but I usually just…" She stopped herself not wanting to be yelled at.

"She usually pilled it up and act like nothing happened." Tony finished for her.

"Isn't that the Stark way?" Darcy asked and regretted it immediately, going to hug him to apologies.

"Around this folks, yeah not so healthy." Sam confirmed.

"It didn't happen in the desert." Betty said.

"I hadn't touch the Tesseract yet in the desert." Darcy countered.

"But you already had the energy shield." Jane almost yelled, she rarely slept and here Darcy had woken her up, this sounded like pay back. "You said it grew up with you, that it's what helps you with your part of the side effects the more you had to hide to more it grew."

Darcy suddenly regretted playing scientists with Jane. She loved the woman but she had no sense of privacy, Darcy told her that story over Vodka and with the perception that the shield was only in her imagination, kind of an imaginary friend that would be helping her, she never thought it was real. But then again, Jane had no problem believing Thor was from Asgard when they met him, so maybe she was more perceptive than them.

"Maybe I wasn't angry enough." Darcy tried next.

"You got kidnapped and experimented on but you were okay with it?" Tasha asked.

"Okay no need to get those out." She said walking to Logan. "Pointy things are not helping." She told him putting her hands on the claws as she would have fingers. "Plus General Ross is going to pay for that one day."

"Hulk smash?" Betty asked smiling.

"We all appreciate the sacrifice trust me, but I prefer military prison." Darcy told her kissing her cheek.

This was totally defeating the purpose she wasn't angry anymore.

"And to answer Tasha, no, I wasn't angry. Sad, scared, lonely and defeated yes, angry not really, I didn't have time to get angry. It took me two weeks to realize what was going on at that time I was confused, then came Rumlow and his team and I was scared and annoyed in equal parts but still not angry." At the confused and angry look of her audience she kept going. "Look, I just…" Darcy said but stopped to look for the right thing to add, somehow telling them she had given up wouldn't do any good, and she wasn't even sure it was true anyway, she still fought Betty at first after all. "I think I was waiting for it to happen, after all the time I told the truth about my injuries to the medical teams or child services, someone was bound to look into it, it was going to happen one way or another."

"Darcy, that doesn't mean…" Logan started but Darcy stopped him.

"It was years ago can we focus on what's happening now?" Darcy asked them.

"Avoiding it, I understand now." She heard Logan say to Sam who just shrugged, though Darcy was sure it wasn't the last time either one of them would bother her with it.

"What do you want to do now?" Rhodey asked her.

"Well Uncle Rhodey…" Which had the effect she wished for making everyone laugh. "What? If Pepper and Tony are my parents doesn't that make you my uncle?" She asked him and made the laughing double, she grinned pretty pleased with herself.

"Darce!" Steve growled anyway behind her.

"Maybe one of you could find me an HYDRA spy outside to test out my new skills." Darcy offered but no one seemed ready to take her up on her offer. "Fine have it your way." She sighed patting Steve's shoulder.

"Wade, Logan, you guy's up for a little game?" Steve asked them.

"Of course if you put it like that." Darcy said rolling her eyes. "It's not a game if they could catch fire, or hand up with a hole on their body, or any other way they could get hurt."

"Stop selling Sweetheart, we're buying." Wade interrupted her pointing at himself and Logan.

"You don't even know what you're getting yourself into." Darcy told them.

"Never stopped us before." Logan confirmed shrugging.

"Stubborn assholes." Darcy sighed giving up. "Everyone else gets out of the room." She asked and when both Bruce and Steve stayed behind she pushed them away. "I said everyone, they are indestructible, they'll be fine."

"What about...?" Bruce started to ask and Darcy laughed looking at Wade and Logan.

"They wouldn't hurt me. They know Hulk would destroy them if they did." She assured him knowing it wasn't the only reason but it still made Bruce smile so that was a win in her book.

"What now sweetheart?" Wade asked her when she turned around leaning on the door counting out the second before Steve got to the elevator.

"Now you make me angry." She announced. "Don't care how, don't care what or who you have to use to do it. I am not waking up from a nightmare to discover that I burned down my bed and everyone in it. I saw how HYDRA weapons worked I am not taking that risk."

"Aren't nightmares supposed to scare people?" Logan asked.

" _J_ , you can live stream now." She indicated knowing full well that JARVIS would have waited for her ascent. She watched as both of her current company realize that no one else heard what she said before. "Unless one of us safeword out of this, no one is getting down to this floor." She told both of them knowing that everyone had heard, but she needed it to be that way, not sure she would be able to entirely let go if she had to worry about someone walking in on them.

 _I locked this level, Darcy. May I require your safewords please?_

"Mine's Iron Man" Darcy said before realizing that it wouldn't work now, and it certainly would never work again with the boys which made her giggle. "Okay no not Iron Man." She breathed out calming down. "Give him yours, I'll think of something else."

She told them and started to catalog all the things that she could use as a Safeword. She already knew Wade's, apparently, him and Vanessa still hadn't change it after all those years, keeping 'Voltron' because it reminded them of the day they met. Without much surprise Logan's was 'Adamantium'.

"Okay, mine's Thanos." Darcy told them and watched as they looked at her weirdly.

"What's that?" Wade asked her.

"Like Voltron is an actual thing?" She shrugged but thought about it wondering where she heard it before. "Oh shit!" She swore looking up to find one of JARVIS's camera. "Thanos, is the name the Elves kept saying. He is a Big Bad Wolf."

"That's not really a great villain name." Wade complained.

"Well I didn't baptize him, Deadpool." She said sticking her tongue at him.

"What would he do if he found you?" Logan asked her and she just shrugged, just because the stones were scared didn't mean she knew why or what would happen if he found them.

"That's okay." Logan told her looking all innocent. "Because I know exactly what HYDRA would do if they found you, I could give him pointers." This time he looked downright dangerous, making her a little scared even though she knew he would never hurt her.

"Oh I know too." Wade exclaimed way too joyous for that kind of talk, making Darcy realize that for all the banter about his job, she never saw him in his environment before. "They would kidnap her."

"That's the easiest part." Logan countered rolling his eyes, both of them making her realize that they had no intention to include her in their talk, and they were probably right, she would ruin it with jokes to dissipate whatever this was. "No what's interesting is what comes next."

"Oh yeah stupid me." Wade leveled "It's been a while since I actually planned something that didn't involve straight up killing them."

"You're getting rusty." Logan told him.

Darcy wasn't angry, actually she was scared, on the verge of a bad burst of PTSD they were reminding her of Rumlow when he was working for Ross a little too much, but she guessed this was the purpose, they needed to get her out of her comfort zone, for her not to feel so safe with them that she wouldn't even try, so safe that she wouldn't want to hurt them.

"I would start by torturing her for a while, taking my time, make her think she would still be alive and only slightly injured by the time her friends came to her rescue." Logan told Wade. "Hope is the first thing that has to go."

"They second one is trust" Wade acted like he suddenly remembered. "Find what makes her tick so she would spill all her little secrets."

If she had watched the scene from outside, say from the room where JARVIS had led their friends to for example, she would have thought this would never work they were terrifying her not making her angry, but in fact Wade had known her for years and Logan had shown remarkable skills at reading her and they were doing good, because Darcy always thought of others firsts, and instead thinking about herself in the situation they were describing, she thought about Bucky, imagining that it was exactly what HYDRA had done to him, breaking him, bits by bits and that made her angry.

"What would you do next?" Wade asked Logan.

"They tend to try to either escape on their own or get themselves killed at this point. And well, you know me, I like to play with my food, I would give her some hope back, kidnap someone else she was attached to, or transfer her to a new facility making sure she heard it was because we were about to get found." He explained still not paying attention to her.

"I would go with kill someone she loved, and tell her who would be next if she didn't obey, but you know me, I don't like it when they try to escape before I got what I wanted." Wade countered.

Darcy knew they were only playing her, that they were only recounting what they had either encounter themselves or what they had witnessed others being the victim of, but that was only doubling her anger. She could feel it now that she was conscious of it. The shift inside herself, but faced with potential danger the shield didn't recess, she could still feel it around her, keeping her as warm and safe as a blanket in the middle of Winter. She could feel the duality of it now. The protection of the shield, compared to the raw energy coursing through her veins, lighting her up from the inside out like a Christmas tree, the need to hurt back, to let her powers take over to make it stop. She actually liked it, love it a lot.

"My turn." She growled at them and raised one of her hand to each of them closing her eyes and letting the images of Bucky in the chair, the ones Tasha had brought back with her from DC, roll through her mind. She opened her eyes back just in time to see the energy actually get out of her hands this time. In fact, it wasn't getting out of her hands at all, it only looked like it from the eyes of others but she could see the tiny gap between the light and her own hand as if she was using the air around her instead of anything coming from what she could still feel running through her veins.

She knew what it was, she had been paying attention to what her scientists found about the Tesseract, the Aether, the scepter. Tess was a condensed version of the universe, able to travel through it, and it meant reducing herself and whoever she travelled with to their essence, protons, neutrons, molecules, everything around her was made of that, and she had witnessed Tess do it to create her energy wall in the lab, or to use the air as a screen to show them her home in space. She felt as if she could control it, curve it at will, transform it in anything she wanted.

The Energy, it was beautiful, reminded her of Tony's energy blast but with all the transparency Tess had; the flow coursing through it as visible as the stars the stone had showed her.

She looked at Logan as he fended it with his claws his fingers barely singed, the burn already healing, Wade dodging her entirely letting the energy cause another hole in the wall. The problem they had with that, was that she was fascinated by it so she tried to push it onto her own hand to see if it would hurt her, making both men jump to stop her not realizing that they would arm themselves that way. The shield took care of them sending them away when she asked it to expand so they would let her do as she wished. She had been right, the energy didn't hurt her, it felt like a warm lick on her skin nothing armful about that.

The trouble came after that, when she looked around her to the chaos she created. Logan was on the floor a few feet away from her, his body visible under destroyed clothes and it's was healing, Wade didn't seem hurt, at least not externally but he was unconscious on the floor next to the remains of the wall. She felt guilty at that, it had been a selfish choice.

"Can you do it again?" Logan asked not even looking back at Wade, they both knew he would wake up and be annoying again soon. Those two had no self-preservation what so ever.

"I think so yeah." Darcy told him, she could do it now that she understood where it came from, she could control it.

"Need me to do another pep talk?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Look." She told him and remembered the process she went through imagining what she wanted the Energy to do and what form to give it.

"That's pretty." Wade said from his wall as a small ball of blue energy formed before Darcy, no bigger than her fist. She didn't even have to fake touch it, it was floating around her in the same way she had seen the Aether do when Piper showed them what was under the shield back at the mansion.

"Can you make it disappear without using it?" Logan asked her, after all he was a teacher at the mansion, he was used to look for the full potential of a newly discovered power.

"I don't want to!" Darcy told him and she made sure the little bubble she created stayed close to her.

"You know it's not alive, right?" Wade asked her.

"You don't know that. It's energy, she is like the cube, full of light and cute." Darcy told them playing with the bubble.

"Okay then send it to me." Wade told her. "You don't want to destroy it, but you can't keep it around, it's not safe."

"You asked us to help so you would be sure you could control it not make a new pet out of it." Logan added.

"But it's not going to hurt anyone." Darcy countered but Logan and Wade didn't seem convinced. "Fine!" she sighed pushing the bubble back so the energy would dissipate into thin air, no need to lose any of it, to make it disappear.

"Can you get it back out again?" Logan asked her and she eyed him head to toes.

"I can do you one better." Darcy told him smirking. If one thing had been clear since she tried this to find Clint and Hunter in London was that it wasn't meant to be hard for her and once she knew how any of it worked she could play with it, make it something no one had thought about before.

"Do your worst." Wade said giggling. He was enjoying this, but Darcy already knew how crazy he was, and Deadpool was her friend so she didn't really care.

She made the bubble appear but instead of releasing it onto them she pushed it against the shield making the entire thing deadly to anyone who would try to approach her, which Logan tried to do, getting burned, his fingers dissipating like Steve had described Schmidt demise.

Something was nagging her, something else wanted to be unleashed now that she was up for some game and she decided that she would never have best test subjects after all so she let it.

She had wondered what the part of the Aether that stayed with her was meant for. She had learned the hard way what the stone was meant for but it seemed to just be staying away from her business only enjoying her protection. Oh, boy was she wrong.

The Aether was meant to absorb energy to make it something dangerous, something beautiful, something that would defend his host. Darcy watched mesmerized as he seemed to consume the energy she liberated on the shield, making it his. But he didn't let her unprotected the shield slowly changing from light blue to dark red almost black, with little picks all over it, it was reminding her of hedgehog and she was using all of what was left of her braincells to not laugh at him, he wouldn't appreciate it.

She did forget something though, for a couple of seconds, she forgot about Wade and Logan, it didn't take long for one of them to do something stupid like touching the shield.

"Wade. No!" she yelled but it was too late the Aether was all around him too, trying to absorb his energy, to grow from it and protect her.

"Bad Aether, Bad." She chastised him, she knew it was stupid but it was her first instinct. "You can not eat my friends, not even potentially infinite human energy supply. He is not a battery. That's bad!" she told it and felt a tremor run through the shield as well as through her body. "I am not joking, now you release Wade immediately or I call Thor and you'll go into the crate with the rest of yourself." If she'd be honest with herself for a second she would easily admit that Wade kind of deserved it, and that she was on the verge of laughing, but she had a behavior to teach and she wasn't going to do that lightly.

Aether obeyed though and Logan was there to catch Wade before he fell on the floor again so all was good.

"No eating the Tower People, and some others, I'll show you." She told Aether when full of energy as he was she could actually feel him against her skin even though he was still invisible. "In fact no eating people if I don't tell you it's okay to do it." She ordered him. But she was benevolent, she gave him a treat for obeying, for not eating Wade. She made another bubble of energy appear, smaller than the last one so he would be able to absorb it.

She had never felt him like that before and she realized, she had been neglecting him all this time, she never thought of his habit, of keeping the stones happy, though she had sent Tess home like she wished. She wondered briefly why he would be so hungry now when he never asked for anything before, after all if she could use the molecule from everything to create energy out of thin air, why couldn't he just eat that.

"Oh I am stupid." She said to herself brushing off the questioning looks from the others.

Tess was nothing but pure Energy, if the Aether had been able to eat anything, he would absorb his sister and be satiated forever. He needed someone or something to catalyze it, to be able to draw from it, like it did from the inside of Jane or Malekith's body, like he was doing with her bubbles. No one liked unprepared food after all.

She felt soothed and relax after that, both of her inhabitant stones content and happy that she let them out to play, that she trusted them not to destroy her tower or endanger their guardian or her protectors and friends.

"I need a hot chocolate. Who's in?" She asked to the men in the room with her but looked up to one of the camera to make it known that it was an open invitation.

"That was really weird." Wade said when they left the room.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" Logan asked her perplexed when they entered the elevator.

"The stones and I are getting to know each other." Darcy told him. "They are friendly. A part of me." She admitted for the first time since she was little. She grinned at Steve and Clint who were waiting for her on the other side of the elevator's doors jumping into their waiting hug as soon as they opened. "In fact I feel exhilarated, and more alive than ever."

"No more anger?" Steve asked and she smiled at him.

"No more fear." She countered she had realized the stones were hers and not the other way around, it was her life, her decision, she was meant to protect them and they would obey her just as she was obeying the Avengers by not stepping outside or by going in the saferoom when asked, or simply by exploring her connection to the stones even though she was reluctant to do so at the beginning of the week.

The bonus were not that bad after all, she could defend herself if needed, and it was liberating, she didn't need for the Avengers to protect her anymore, she didn't need them to accept her, to love her at all cost, she wanted to show them everything and she had a plan on how to do it.

\- Notes:

I watched the movies again and I think I managed to make it so basically Darcy can do anything the stones can do...  
Later on and as more stones are added she'll be able to mix them, like she does with her bonds, to do things even the stones can not on their own at least.  
I base that theory on the fact that Thanos Gauntlet isn't just a nice jellewry he actually intends to use the stones in a similar manner and that's why he needs to collect them all.


	70. Knowledge of the innocent

**Note: Happy New Year Everyone, hope all your wishes to come true.**

 **Knowledge of the innocent.**

Thor had been dreading the moment they would ask him questions about Darcy's condition. Since the day he met her he tried to remember his lessons, but honestly, he never regretted his brother's actions more then when something new emerged and he was reminded of what a poor listener he used to be. As a child, he had been too focused on battles and wars, always asking for more of those stories, his mother had been the only one able to pry him away from those lessons, from sparing with his friends, as she wanted to give him a sense of compassion and love. But the history lessons his preceptors tried to teach him about the creation of the world, those he couldn't remember a single word about, to preoccupied that he was by other more hands on subject.

Loki, though, he would know everything, and not only because Darcy's power looked a lot like his magic powers.

So, Thor decided to look over Darcy instead, making it his duty to insure the woman, he considered his adoptive and fun little sister, safety. Heimdall had been asked to converse with Odin, ask him what they should do, what to expect but it didn't seem to be as easy as he hoped it would be.

Several weeks had come and go already, Clint's health had improved and his cast had been taken off, the young Captain already went after his missing friend two times without results, and they were no closer to the scepter than they had been before. Hill and Darcy had found intel about the missing weapon but it only led to the places it was at before the fall of SHIELD they couldn't find a single tell of where it was at now, Tony and Bruce were of great help in that ordeal, trying to teach their science to find the scepter for them, but it seemed well hidden.

Coulson had sent them reports, telling in great details each of the HYDRA bases he managed to take down, but they all came to the same conclusion, who ever had ended up with the Scepter wasn't advertising it, or even sharing whatever powers he could come up with thanks to it with the rest of the organization. Which helped in some way. A woman named Bobby, who apparently had been married to both Clint and Hunter, was now spying inside the organization and was able to tell them of two scientists who were constantly foregoing the reports on their progress, List and Stucker now had the Avengers complete attention.

Darcy seemed to be more at ease with who she was, she spent hours in the gym or in the Hulk room trying to learn more about her powers, but also indulging Natasha's requests to spend more time together and to train her into hand to hand combat so if anything was to happen she would be able to defend herself. Darcy had promised to wait until everyone agreed it was safe to be allowed to go outside on her own and she was being very patient about that, even when Jane had to go away on her own, or more accurately with some of the best ex-SHIELD agents Hill had recruited for their security but still she had almost cancelled several times not willing to go when Darcy couldn't. Pepper was the same, reluctant but forced to go away from the tower for work reasons.

Thor looked over his shoulder in the gym as Darcy was once again trying to expand the extend of her shield as far as it would get without invading the others training, to let the Aether get a little exercise for the beginning of the day. She had been good at taming the powerful stone, it was obeying her more and more easily every day. But for each of those progress Darcy seemed sadder. She was a compassionate person and she felt anger and sadness for the fact that where she could call out energy for seemingly everywhere to replicate the Tesseract's powers, the little part of the Aether that stayed with her seemed to be confined inside the shield perimeter.

"This is stupid" he heard her hiss not for the first time that day as she sat heavily on the floor mat holding her head in her hands.

"Is it not obeying you?" Thor asked and knew immediately it had been the wrong question to ask when she glared at him. "How may I help you?"

"Did you get words from your father?" Darcy asked him and he shook his head. "Then I'll just keep training." She told him standing up.

She kept at it for a couple of minute Thor stubbornly not retreating from the gym like others tended to do when she worked on her skills while frustrated. He felt responsible but more than that if a way to help existed he wanted to be the one to find it.

"I am sorry." Darcy sighed looking at him. "you know for being bitchy" she told him "it's just…" she started to explain but stopped herself.

"Whatever it is you can tell me." Thor reminded her

"You're great at handling battles and Jane and at trolling the team…" she stopped once more.

"I, too, would like for my brother to still be alive when you get frustrated or risk to endanger yourself because I lack knowledge." He admitted.

"I am not frustrated at you." She snapped looking at him with a curious glance. "Is that why you hover all the time? You think I am mad at you for not listening in class?" She didn't wait for him to answer though. "Will it be helpful to have answers? Yes. But we don't even know if what they thought Loki would be helpful in anyway. Maybe they just taught him how the stones were made what their powers are and it doesn't really matter right now."

"Still I wish my father would be more forthcoming with this knowledge after all he is the one who put you in this predicament in the first place." Thor admitted, angry at himself and at Odin for not being in control of a dangerous situation.

"You know I don't think he could have seen this coming after all last time you asked he told you our special kind of bond wasn't normal but he couldn't explain why." Darcy told him shrugging.

Deciding to revisit his topic when they'll had more Intel Thor moved on to a new subject.

"What were you frustrated about little Darcy?" he asked her.

"I can't get the Aether out of the shield." She admitted sighing again and surprising Thor.

"You would want to do that?" He inquired.

"Well yeah, it's not fair that he is here but only gets to stay under the shield, I can't always have it expanded and it feels like putting a dog in a cage too small for it." Darcy explained quickly.

"I think the shield is meant to keep him inside." Thor said before adding quickly. "You spend so many years keeping everything hidden under it I know the Aether isn't the only thing stuck there." Thor probed.

After the first experimentation with the Energy, Darcy had told them she was done being scared, that she knew that even if they didn't like her, which yes she knew had little to Zero chance of happening, after she showed them everything she had, then now at least she knew the stones would always be there. But it had been easier said than done and although Darcy had tried really hard to be more open with everyone, her first instinct came up on more than on one occasions on simple things such as asking for help, but seemed to be sealed tight when it came to revealing parts of what made her special, and this no matter how many times she had come back from her office crying or frustrated because she had tried something new but nothing would get passes the shield.

"Darcy, it's okay, you'll find a way eventually." He repeated the words he had heard coming from Tony countless times already.

"No, it's not…" she started then stopped. "It's not the same." She admitted and motioned for him to sit with her on the mat. "I get that my mind is blocking out most of what I want to do with the others because I trained myself that way. Frustrating yes, but if Tasha and Bucky can break their conditioning from bad people, I certainly can do it too with something as simple as my own will power." She explained. "The Aether, it's different. Feels like he is stuck there. And I can't use him properly if he is under the shield." Darcy sighed out making a little ball of light appear she had become quite good at that.

Thor hadn't been expecting it to be the problem but it made sense the shield was her last protection if she had to invite her enemies under it for the Aether to take care of them he wasn't of any use.

"It could be…" Thor said but stopped to think about what he was about to say. "You said you used the Energy while we were battling in London." He acknowledged and she nodded. "Did you use the Aether at all?" he asked needing to make sure his theory would prove to be helpful.

"I don't think so. I barely remembered the Energy. I thought it was a hallucination something my brain came up with when I was on my adrenalin haze. I don't remember a lot about what happened in those few days before and after the battle." She told him.

"The Aether could be prisoner of the shield." He told her and kept going when he saw her alarmed glare. "You're not doing it." He assured her. "The rest of it is restrained inside the crate. It could also restrain your pet's powers."

"Tess is in the vault." Darcy argues understandably.

"The Vault is a big open space Darcy, bigger than this tower. Even if she was in a crate, the power of the Tesseract can never be subdued or the Bifrost wouldn't work, it uses the same magic to allow us to travel through the worlds and it's better, safer, stronger when it can draw on the stones ability to travel rather than solely on Yggdrasil path ways." Thor explained to her as he had explained to Jane many months before.

"Oh!" Darcy simply said staying then quiet for a while. "I suppose we can't just free him from the crate?" She asked sheepishly.

"I wish to make your life easier little sister but his destructive powers have to be secured and guarded. You, yourself, saw what he was capable of." Thor offered with an apological smile.

"He could live in me. I know it wouldn't hurt me like it didn't Jane." Darcy inquired.

"Physical pain isn't the only way to hurt someone." Thor told her trying to remind her with gentleness how much the Aether had hurt her when it first appeared on Midgard.

"He was hurt and scared. I hurt you too when you came here the first time and you still love me." She countered and that he did. "What happens when I need him? I don't want to let evil people in under the shield." She said changing the subject before he could agree with her only confirming what they had all talked about the previous night the young woman was still unsure of her place among them and whatever plan she had to reveal herself to them would never work until she did. It was their task to achieve not hers, no matter how much she seemed to believe it was the other way around.

"We are here to make sure it never happens." Thor assured her but something flicker in Darcy's eyes as he said it.

The young woman might not have been able to let them in with some part of her skills, due to their inability to make her feel included in the family that wouldn't even exist if not for her but she had always trusted them to protect her. This time though she was strangely insistent and he was quick to remember all those tiny comments she had been making since they came back from the mansion. All those 'if' situations that would only come up once a month when they were reviewing the tower security had been traded for 'when' as if she was expecting something to happen.

"Darcy? Do you know something we don't?" Thor asked making sure his voice was leveled and wouldn't show any worries he might have.

"I don't think so." She told him throwing a curious glance at him. "Why?"

If Thor had learned on thing since he lived at the tower was that anything that was put in hiding would come back to haunt them, so, he opted on telling her.

"You sound more and more like you know something is going to happen and we won't be there to protect you. Not just theorizing about the possibly of it happening, but as if you had Intel on almost everything but when." He told her and looked as she thought it through.

"It's just a feeling I get that something is coming. But maybe it's not for me. Thanos is still missing his stones and he might try to take them away." She said shrugging it off as if she couldn't do anything about it anyway.

Thor could though and would talk about it with the team as soon as he could, making sure they knew something was coming for Darcy, because he didn't think it was about the stones they were always in danger of being stolen and their guardian had never reacted that way, and brainstorming into finding a way for Darcy to stop feel like a burden to them.


	71. How to get a girl to see past her insecu

**How to get a girl to see past her insecurities. Part 1 – Good Boyfriends**

 _Conference room 4B, level 24_

Pepper was a miracle worker, they all knew that already but on that day, she managed to get everyone in the conference room, and even had a decoy planning all set up. They really needed for Darcy to not catch them, it would only make it harder for them to achieve their goal.

"So what's the plan here?" Clint asked from his seat on one of the higher level of the lecture room.

"The pan is to get it into our girl's head that she is important and we are not going to abandon her." Tony explained while he installed the interactive whiteboard so they could take notes that JARVIS would be able to keep secret.

"I still don't get what I am doing here." Sharon announced to the room sitting next to Natasha.

"We invited all her friends." Natasha assured her.

"I don't think she still considers me a friend. Not since the Chitauri. Learning who I was kind of put a big damp on our relationship." Sharon admitted.

"She still calls you on Girls night." Jane told her and Sharon nodded and stayed silent.

"You kept her safe for 2 years Sharon, she'll get over it, you just have to give her time." Tony told her. He knew her the best, had even babysat once or twice when Peggy asked and he wanted to see if he would be able to take care of Darcy of something happened to Elizabeth.

"Thanks Uncle Tony." Sharon said out of habits, making everyone gasp but they all got over it without asking for an explication after all they were a family, a big dysfunctioning one.

"The plan for today is to keep Darcy occupied until we have a full proof plan that will insure Darcy knows her place among us is assured and in fact essential to the cohesion of this little family." Pepper explained. "Thor is right, the reason she gets frustrated about not being able to use her skills is because she is afraid we would get rid of her if she does something we don't like, or if she hurts one of us." She kept on before adding. "I was the same after I was injected with Extremis, it took me some time to allow Bruce to make some tests even though it would have expedite stabilizing it."

Everyone nodded at that. Darcy, Jane and Thor had been the only one away at the time, but even _they_ knew how hard it had been for Pepper to trust herself around them, even after Extremis had been stabilized she would spend hours alone in her office, rescheduling every board meetings she had, getting back home only after JARVIS had assured her that everyone was back to their own levels. They had barely seen her in those few weeks.

"I have lunch plan with her at 11." Sharon told them.

"Yes, and Buddy is in charge of distracting her for some time after she wakes up, Maria sent a lot of pre-approved profiles to her so she has some work to do finding her next assistant and some of your support team to replace the Hydra ones we had to fire." Pepper explained Maria nodding approvingly behind her. "then lunch with Sharon. The PR team asked to talk to her about the summer line and the 4th of July events. If we still don't have a plan by then, the women will leave the men to figure something out because I organized for some of the top wedding dress designers to come and beg for me to wear their creation. It will make me feel good about myself."

"Really Pep?" Tony asked with a dubious look.

"A woman can never feel too good about herself." Natasha told him sighing but smiling at Pepper at the same time.

"Back to Darcy?" Rhodey reminded them.

"Oh yeah, so does anyone have a plan?" Tony asked the assemble of Avengers and company sitting in front of him.

"I think Clint and I are doing our part at making her feeling included." Steve said proudly.

"If you think so." Jane whispered clearly forgetting the number of super people in the room.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Steve asked her a little dumbfounded.

"Don't get me wrong, the three of you are cute and fluff, she loves you and I know you both love her, but here is the trick, I was with Darcy in London…" She said waiting for Clint and Steve to nod in understanding. "You called her every night, and sometimes you would tell her in excruciating details about the date you went on, she would be happy about it and smile for days on cloud nine about the two men she was in love with loving each other too and how it was perfect. Than we came back here, and you three moved on with your life, you moved in together, you spent every free minute you have together, you make a point at doing things that would make her happy, you take care of her and I am really grateful for that." She explained.

"I don't see what the problem is." Clint said sounding both unsure, and sad that he couldn't figure out what was wrong on his own, and that their girl wasn't fully satisfied.

"You really did that?" Natasha asked from a few rows below them, suddenly realizing what a big mistake it had been for them to hide their relationship because she would have prevented it from happening, kicking their asses if needed.

"I am sorry." Steve said to the audience with a frown on his face that meant he was trying to figure out what they meant.

"You lived the first part of your relationship just the two of you and went on as if she had been there all along once she came back from London?" Betty asked them. "If you did that to me, I would think I wasn't important enough to deserve the same treatment Clint had. Or Steve. Pick the idiot one yourself." She told them sighing and leaning on Bruce kissing his cheek, Bruce might be an idiot too but he was a good boyfriend.

"Wow, I can't believe they call you the man with a plan, and you Clint, you're supposed to see everything and find solutions to make the problem disappear." Jane sighed.

"It's going to take a long time if no one just explain to us what is wrong." Steve told them.

"You never went on a date with Darcy?" Tony, who up to Betty's comment, had the same confused face, asked them.

Steve and Clint looked at each other for a while, seemingly having a silent conversation with each other, then at the same time realization showed on their faces.

"I…" Clint started but then stopped putting his face in his hands not looking at any of them anymore.

"We'll fix it." Steve said convincingly, a promise to Darcy, Clint and everyone in the room, all in one, then taking Clint into his arms kissing the back of his head and assuring him that everything will be okay.

"But how? If we get outside, people are going to take pictures and she'll be all over the media in no time." Clint whispered but in the small room everyone could still hear him.

"There is a five stars' restaurant in the tower, Pepper and I often use it for our dates when we want to stay away from the paparazzi." Tony informed them. "The chef can even cook and get the food up to your floor, or we could turn the communal room into some kind of girl first date dreamland or…" Tony kept going, joy showing all over his face, he definitely liked to do things for his daughter, and he seemed to appreciate it even more now that she knew he was doing it out of fatherly love. "the winter garden would be a perfect spot."

"We'll do that." Steve told them but looked worried at the same time. "I just don't like the idea of deceiving her again. We did try to get a romantic dinner for Valentine's day and then Doom happened. She didn't say anything but I still knew she was sad when she put the food away the next morning."

"We'll deal with any villains of the week and you show her she is your priority. It's not like Captain America and Hawkeye are always needed." Bruce told them, volunteering to turn into Hulk if it could get Darcy a nice time with her boyfriends when she spent so much time planning every date he had with Betty in the past 8 months since they decided to resume their relationship.

"You guys are great." Clint told them blushing slightly. It was just his luck that he wasn't the only one having a cute reaction to the level of affection floating around the room. And it wasn't only meant for Darcy, the all team and their added loved ones was a real family loving and supporting each other, none of them actually lived that when they were younger but Darcy had made it happen and it was their turn to make her realize she was the glue that kept them all together.

Author Note:

Sorry for the long Hiatus, but be aware it might happen again

I won't give up this story I know where I want it to go and already have the outlines of some future chapters written but I can't publish them since they are further down the time line

Just know that I am sick and it's taking me longer time to recover in between ER trips which are more regular too so that's why it's taking me longer to update nothing to do with abandonning the fic.

I can promise that if you stick with me even though sometimes you might have to re-read the latest chapters to get a feel of where we were in the story, we'll get to the bottom of this and you'll get the wall story ;)


	72. Part 2

**How to get a girl to see past her insecurities. Part 2 – All Girls Day.**

"For my part…" Pepper said, cutting through the intense moment before someone, probably Tony, embarrassed himself by saying something stupid "… I was thinking, we could go on a spa weekend, but we'll need to do it in the next two weeks so she is not going to think it's meant for the wedding, I'll even reserve another date closer to that date and make sure she knows it, so there wouldn't be any doubt."

"You want to take her away from the tower?" Tony asked in a little voice she knew meant he was worried.

"We talked about already." Maria pipped in. "We'll make it an all-girls weekend, between Natasha, Pepper, Sharon, myself, and we thought about asking Mystic, Rogue and Kitty to join us, we think Darcy, Betty and Jane will be pretty safe."

"We'll even take a team from SI security, they will stay outside of the spa unless we call for them, just to make sure the Super Heroes can save the planet without worrying about us." Pepper added.

"You have to do it after their date." Sam told them showing off Clint and Steve who were still cuddling together, though clearly attentive to what everyone was saying.

"Why?" Jane asked, definitely looking intrigued, she stood her ground on the 'date' thing and there was no way she would let anyone mess it up.

"Because if you do it before, and she comes back all pampered and relax and manicured and all the other things that happen in a spa, to find out her boyfriends planned a surprise romantic date, she is going to think that…" He was interrupted by Betty.

"Oh, propose, she is going to think we did that because we knew the boys wanted to propose." Betty explained and Sam nodded vigorously.

Steve and Clint exchanged a quick glance before looking right at Tony. "Would that be so bad?" Clint asked him directly.

"No!" Tony said then realized it could be misinterpreted and kept going. "I mean 'No it wouldn't be bad' not 'No you can't propose to her'" he assured them, watching as a big smile show on his future sons-in-law's faces. Now that Darcy with living with him, he was actually okay with all that was going on with her love life, and the fact that, even though he missed most of her childhood, she was all grown up now, old enough to live with her boyfriends, be the head of an international super heroes' agency and even get married if she wanted. He was still waiting for her to call him Dad but he could be patient. One thing he wasn't looking for though was to be a grandfather, he really hoped they would wait for that to happen.

"The problem isn't that." Sharon interrupted the happy staring contest. "You will propose and she will say Yes, no one doubts that." She assured them.

"Then what?" Steve asked her gently having realized already that they should have met like that earlier, everyone having a part of the puzzle that others hadn't seen coming.

"She will feel guilty about it." Jane explained. "Not because she would trap you or anything like that, again she loves you both and won't leave you for anything." She added before anyone could think Darcy didn't feel worthy of marrying Clint and Steve. "The problem is Pepper." She finally said.

"Me? Why?" Pepper asked clearly lost with that last comment.

"Because you would go into full Pepper mode, combine with super mommy mode and you would forget about your own wedding." Logan surprised everyone by putting his two cents in.

"I…" Pepper looked like she wanted to refute it but she just couldn't.

"He is right, you would offer to take her with you dress shopping, since she is your maid of honor. But then you will insist for her to try some since she is there and she would find hers too. From then, you would start planning her wedding instead of yours, you would go into full lobbying mode so the three of them would be able to get married…" Natasha kept going.

"You would tell them to get married the same day we do…" Tony added. "Because the focus of the press will be on us and they would totally miss the fact that two of my previously single team mates were wearing wedding bands."

"I would do all of that." Pepper admitted with a sigh sitting herself next to Betty.

"Darcy would let you because she knows it's what moms do for their daughter but at the same time she'll feel guilty about taking away your big moment from you, she talks about your wedding all the time when she is trying to get me out of the lab." Bruce explained.

"Okay so the date first and the spa weekend after that?" Pepper asked and was met with nods from everyone. "But the day you finally propose, I will go full mom mode and no one can complain." She told Steve and Clint who moved down a few rows to kiss her cheeks at the same time before going back to their cuddling.

"What about me?" Jane asked, now that they had figured out, the rest of the group had a better perspective on Darcy's behavior toward someone else. It was like their young friend was acting differently depending on who she was spending time with.

Pepper winced, then sighed, someone had to tell her after all. "She thinks she is expandable, you would be able to work even better if you didn't have her around always distracting you, or if you could just talk to someone who could understand more than half of what you babble about all day long."

"No, she is not." Jane protested, standing up to make her point.

"We know she is not, none of us actually think about her the way she sees herself, but it's still what she told us." Natasha insisted on.

"How do I fix it?" Jane asked.

"Try to remember to spend time with her outside the lab, without having her reminding you about your date." Steve told her because that was what Darcy had told him she wished for.

"None of you has a lot of time, but she would like to try and learn more about what you're working on." Clint added, Darcy always saying that she googled everything so she would know what she was writing about back when they were in New Mexico.

"Stop testing her powers unless she is the one to offer." Sam told her and then put his hands up in surrender when everyone glared at him. "I know you don't mean anything bad and you probably always ask before doing anything, and she says Yes every single time…" He said and Jane nodded. "… You ever thought she was saying Yes to make you happy, and to be able to spend time with you on something you could both talk about scientifically?" He asked and Jane sat back down.

"I never meant for her to think that. I thought we were having fun." Jane told them.

"You were." Thor confirmed.

"But she also has fun when she has to spend an hour on the phone with Senator what's-his-name because she can sass him, doesn't mean she doesn't look at the phone dreading the call for a few minutes before she actually calls him." Tony explained. "Sometimes we do thing that are fun because we need to not because we want to." He said making everyone in the room thinking about all the galas he goes to with a fake smile on his face.

"Okay, I can do that." Jane promised them, "No more testing on my behalf, and spend more time with Darcy, that's totally reasonable."

"My turn I think." Natasha announced.

"You can't just train her all day." Clint told her.

"I guess that's true." Natasha agreed but looked like she wasn't sure.

"She knows you train her because you care but she needs you to care in a different form. Be her big sister." Rhodey started to explain "It doesn't mean that you have to go against your upbringing or that you suddenly need to spend all of your time braiding her hair and gossiping with her…"

"I think you forgot the pillow fight into it somewhere." Tony interrupted him laughing.

"I am exaggerating it on purpose." Rhodey retoured before going back to what he was saying. "I think she just wants to know that you would be here for her, and not just in a way where anybody who would make her cry or angry or hurt would suddenly disappear from the face of the Earth. Sometimes younger siblings just need someone that would listen to them babbling without judging." He said smiling stupidly at Tony.

"That's not all you do for me." Tony told him, harboring the same stupid smile.

"I am just being realistic." Rhodey said trying not to roll his eyes. "I don't think she'll need Natasha to clear the air or to tell her not to put a stripper pole in her plane."

"Man, you have a stripper pole on your plan?" Wade interrupted him. "Vanessa always dreamed of stripping on a plane, it was supposed to be my second anniversary gift but we couldn't find a plane with stripper pole."

"The plan is all yours for the weekend once your mission is complete, Pooly." Tony offered with a smile and an eye roll from anyone else.

"So basically, I need to make sure she knows I am available when she needs it even if it's just to complain about her boyfriends and their lack of priorities in the relationship?" Natasha asked and Steve growled at her.

"We'll do better." Clint complained to her.

"Well, yes, I know that, because if you don't you'll have Pepper going all mom on your asses." Natasha confirmed with an evil laugh.

"I am sure she'd like that." Jane told Natasha ignoring the rest of the conversation. "I am trying to be here for her like that but I am too easily distracted by science. I think she needs someone who she can tell everything to, talk about her skills as well as day to day life. She trusts you already. You just need to show her that you are happy she is in your life and avoid looking bored or telling her you don't care or that you can show her ten ways to kill him when she complains about the accountant on the 12th floor always looking at her boobs in the elevator. She just needs to vent."

"I can do it." Natasha announced to the room, the look on her face determined and already planning her move on Darcy.

"I think it's my time." Sharon said getting up. "I have a lot of graveling to do at lunch and I guess a lot of stories to listen to. Maybe we'll need more than an hour lunch." Sharon said getting some nods in answer.

"Stay for dinner tonight." Tony offered. "It's movie night and since we're all here it means Disney movies, and Hulk cuddling Darcy."

"Sounds fun actually." Sharon agreed. "I would have thought Hulk would rather get out on smaller crowd." She said.

"It used to be true." Bruce explained. "But now, we are using Disney cuddling time to introduce him to new people he might have to work with in the future, something in the fact that Darcy invited them for movie night just agrees with him." He finished shrugging, after all it had been the best plan any of them ever had to deal with Hulk.

"Okay, then I am going to go find Darcy and get some food into her." Sharon said.

"Not outside the tower." The Avengers all told her at the same time.

"I wouldn't have dreamt of it." Sharon assured them.

 _I took the liberty to call the security team, Agent 13 and Miss Stark can have lunch in the Mexican restaurant in the food corner of the lower level, it_ _'s safe and only security employees will be taking their lunches there at the time._

"Looks like we're having a Mexican lunch than. Thanks JARVIS." Sharon agreed grinning at how over protective the super heroes in front of her could be. She loved Darcy but really the girl tazed a God what else they needed to let her out?


	73. Part 3

**How to get a girl to see past her insecurities. Part 3 –** **Boys will be Boys.**

Betty had to prompt it out of him but Bruce after listening to everyone else was finally ready to tell them what his plans were, though he wasn't sure they were good plans, actually if he hadn't pitched them to Betty and watched her smile at him happily he would still be wondering how he could help with Darcy.

"I think I know what I want to do." Bruce said abruptly after silence fell over the room once Sharon last goodbyes were said. Faced with curious glances from his team mates and friends. "I am past saying her only interest in me is the Other Guy, I already told her that, and anyway I don't think Hulk and Darcy have the kind of problems we are here to talk about."

"We are just waiting for your plan of action." Sam assured him.

"Oh! I contacted several of my colleagues over at Culver and Betty did too, between the two of us we were able to convince enough people to take a look at everything she did for us over here, redacting it when needed with JARVIS' help, but they were impressed and gave her the credits she needed to graduate this year like she was supposed to before we kind of highjacked her life, not that she would ever complained about that." Bruce announced shrugging like if what he did was normal and not at all important.

"Wow." Pepper yelled out and Bruce was torn between being scared that she was mad at him and blushing that she was proud at him. "That's amazing Bruce." Well, that settled it for blushing then. "I didn't even think about that. She'll be able to graduate and all?" She asked and Betty and Bruce nodded. "We keep telling her she is good at her job but this will finally get it into her mind, it's recognition from her peers, from people she was eager to learn from who are saying that her work his good enough not to have to go to class to get her degree." She kept going and when Bruce still blushing was about to tell her something probably leaning toward 'I don't deserve all this anyone one would have done the same' she talked over him. "And what makes it even better is that it didn't came from me or Tony, Darcy isn't going to think you bought someone off for her to get it, she knows you two respect the system and your Alma mater way too much to risk asking this as a favor. She'll know she only got it because she really deserved it."

"That's…" Bruce said than stopped shaking his head. "I haven't thought about all that, but I guess you're right. I did good then?" He couldn't help but ask.

"You did more than good." Tony told him, a proud look on his face, probably both about his friend slowly returning to his human gentleness self and his daughter being rewarded for her hard work.

"She's going to be over the moon with the news." Clint added.

"She's been looking at classes all over town, but thought that between her job and the part she plays in 'real life Rapunzel', her words not mine, she would have to give up on ever getting her degree." Steve explained.

"Do you have any friends in the psychology department? Because I wouldn't mind getting my degree too." Sam laughed but nodded at Bruce to answer his question, the man did good and deserved to know it.

"Will this degree you all seem to have comes with a celebrating ceremony?" Thor asked them.

"And a party, my God friend. A big, daddy-is-proud of you Party." Tony said with a grin.

"Except for the fact that it has to be a small party with only the present people and maybe some of the X-Men, and Fantastic four, and none of her family is going to attend, but yeah, you can throw her a party." Natasha reminded him.

"So? We'll organize her a big party with the X-men, Reed the asshole and all of her proud family here, and if we don't do it at the Tower we can even invite her aunt, as she is the only family she has left, and I'll even bribe Agent into coming to say 'hi'. She is going to graduate she deserves a party." Tony argued.

"Every accomplishment deserves a party." Thor agreed.

"You two thing everything calls for a party." Jane said rolling her eyes at them, "but in that case I agree. Let's have a party for Darcy and not just because she got her degree but for being Darcy."

She was met with silence but a quick look all around her told her that was because people agreed with her, not because she had said something no one understood like it tended to happen when she was outside of the tower. She loved living at the tower, where even when not around Tony or Bruce people wouldn't look at her like a crazy person when she was herself or when they didn't understand half of what she said. She was glad Darcy came all the way to London to ask her to move in, she was starting to regret not telling her that.

"I have already done my part by yelling at all of you, so I don't need a turn." Sam told them, grinning as he knew how right he was, Darcy had been hold up on his level, talking about all and nothing with him, every time he was in town and not trying to flirt with Natasha without it turning into a sparring session where he'd got his ass handed to him.

Wade announced friendly that he certainly didn't need to get more acquainted with Darcy, before Steve and Clint growls made him admit he only meant it as friendly thing, as Darcy was way too good for him, too which the boys told him that he wasn't that bad and that he must be some good to lend a girl like Vanessa.

"I am going to keep getting to know her, but it's not why I came here, and as soon as we found Bucky again I'll be back to the mansion." Logan told them.

"No, you're not." Clint told him with a smirk.

"It's where I live, I'll be there if you ever need anything else, but I am going back." Logan confirmed.

"That's not what I meant." Clint said. "You're not here only to find Barnes and you already admitted it. Something makes you want to protect her, and you're doing a great job at it."

"It's not my job though, I already got robbed into caring for dozens of children, I am not doing it again." Logan was vehement about it.

"No one is robbing you into anything." Clint told him with a wink. "You're still one of us though." He added making Logan growl.

That girl had a way at getting under your skin and stay there, but not in the way Jean had for years, or in the way he felt like a brother to Rogue, it was different, he wanted her to be protected and safe, he could feel in his adamantium bones how important it was for him to care about her, to keep her happy and safe. He had talked to the mansion since he had been gone and he had learned that he wasn't the only one feeling like this.

Mystic was still in the tower, and he had lunch with her a time or two over the past month, he could feel it coming from her too, even though the woman had never met Darcy privately, the girl was getting downstairs to the commercial part of the tower from time to time but the mutant had admitted that she'd rather look over her from afar see if anyone was too interested into her, for her taste.

It was something he needed to make sure of before he shared, offering to introduce the Avengers and their director to more of the mutant community, more of the supernatural people, just to make sure he hadn't miss something. From what he had gathered since he came to the tower, the Avengers were supposed to protect Darcy, it was their natural mission, given to them by mystical stones, and they were protecting the world as it was their self-appointed job.

If he had to guess something other than that was happening, the 'Super community' as Darcy started to called them, seemed to be intend on pitching in, helping with the keeping Darcy alive-and-well part. They were always happy to do it when it came to the saving the world part, but this was new. She seemed to have a magnetic pull over them, she would need them someday, just as much as they would her, and they would be there, for her, all of them, united under her command, he had seen it before, or would see it, as since he changed the past, it never happened this time around.

She didn't see good or bad, right or wrong, human or mutant, she only saw people, Earth inhabitants. He had met people like her before the difference here was that she wasn't looking for someone to manipulate, for someone to serve her, she didn't have any ulterior motives, she was only herself and it was attracting all of them, even their usual enemies, into helping her.

"I would like advices on how to make sure my little lightning sister feels welcome in her home." Thor asked after he made sure Logan was done.

"How about bringing Lady Sif and some of your other friends to her party?" Tony asked making Thor smile brightly.

"I will make sure Heimdall forward the invitation." Thor explained. "I do not think that would suffice."

"We can help each other because we watch each other interact with Darcy daily." Natasha told him. "We don't have Intel when it comes to you."

"You spent time with Darcy when she is in the lab with Jane, when she has questions about the stones, or when she needs you to get Jane away from the lab, I don't remember even seeing you around her outside of those occurrences." Clint offered a little sad.

"I don't know how to get around her when I have no answers to offer." Thor admitted. "I was taught the ways of the stones when I was a young prince, but I couldn't care less about it then, I am trying to remember what I was told. I find myself unable to."

"So try to work with what she knows, you're the only one who ever heard those stories, the only one who can understand what she is talking about when she refers to the stones. Just try and be more than just a source of Intel, she needs a friends whose powers comes from a similar place as hers." Jane told him.

"Why not tell me earlier?" Thor asked her.

"Because science?" Jane tried, laughing it off. "Everyone is always too busy to take the time to talk about things as simple as this. Whenever you are on Earth and not on a mission or training and I don't have sciencing to do, or a conference on the other side of the world to attend to, we are just talking about us, and I forget what I wanted to tell you about anything else." Jane kept going with a frown.

"Considering the day, we are all having, I don't think it's anyone's fault." Pepper assure her. "Darcy is good at compartmentalizing her life, she had to learn it early on and she keeps doing it with all of us to make sure she gives each of us exactly the part of her she things we'll like better instead of her entire self." She pursued. "Except maybe with the boys because she opens up her shield for them, she shared things with them that none of us will ever know." And before Clint or Steve complained, she added. "It's a good thing, we all have a special person like that, and Darcy certainly deserve to have two of them." Making sure they got that she was saying they were good for her, she went back to her speech. "We just need to convince her that she can show all of her, to all of us, and we will only love her more for it."

"I know I am not really one of you, but I guess since I am apparently staying in here more than I ever used to, I should get to know her." Rhodey announced, sure that it was the right choice.

"Yeah get to know your Goddaughter, I think it's time." Tony complained but Rhodey just patted him on the back of the head.

"Maybe I wouldn't need to if someone had told me I had a Goddaughter to begin with." Rhodey retoured.

"Sure, it's all my fault! She is a great girl, just get to know her." Tony told him.

"I'll do it, it's just hard to do when we are never alone and you all already know her." Rhodey pointed out.

"Sharon is taking her too lunch. Maria did that too last week. Sam is having video games whenever they both can spare the time, you're the one who is here the least so I guess it's normal that you're the one who knows the least about her." Steve assured him. "You're the only one who can talk to her about Tony, since he was a teenager." He said as a joke making Tony send his pen at him. "Without joking, you know the inner working of the army officials, it's not something she can learn from anyone else." And he added before anyone complained about his lack of fun. "She likes cooking, Pepper and Tony said you have mad skills in the kitchen, I am sure she'd appreciate if you can show her new things, you can get to know each other over it."

"That's actually good advice, Steve, thank you." Rhodey told him with a smile and Steve simply nodded at him.

"I am going to show her that she was always meant to be here." Tony told the assemble.

"How are you going to do that?" Natasha asked skeptical.

"I am going to show her what is hidden away on the upper level of the Stark Mansion." Tony said nodding his head as if he was certain that would work.

"You told me it was your father's old stuff." Pepper told him.

"I lied. That level is all Darcy's." Tony admitted without any hint of guilt.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Jane asked.

"Don't you want to run it by us first?" Bruce probed.

"I am sure! If it doesn't work nothing I could do will." Tony told them. "You all keep telling me to stop giving you things, I suppose it wouldn't work on her either, especially since she never wants any of the things I have to offer to her." He said sighing, but still looking proud knowing she always asked for something for others instead. "She is too perfect to be bought."

"What is on the upper level?" Clint asked curious.

"Something that will make her happy." Tony said without explaining further more.

"Planning?" Steve asked them knowing when to give up on Tony's weirdness.

"If I have everything right we should go, Tony, Bruce, you and Clint, Spa, me, Jane, because she has to be in China soon and it will be better if she did it after rather than do it and then go back into her science frenzy, following up would be the big party, Rhodey can ship in anytime he wants, same for Thor, so I think we're all set." Natasha offered.

"Looks good to me." Steve agreed followed by everyone else.

"Great let's make it work people." Pepper told them as they all shimmed out of the conference room to get back to their designed levels. "Dinner at 7. Ladies, the dresses for the weeding will be waiting for us on our level in an hour." She added.

"Guys want to do something fun in the mean time?" Tony asked.

"Sure. What do you have in mind?" Clint asked him.

"I am sure JARVIS will find us something." Tony said pushing them toward the elevator, "First go see Darcy before she gets suspicious. We'll meet you in the common room in an hour."


	74. Family Ties

**Family Ties.**

"Tony." Steve said trying to get the genius' attention. He and Clint came up to the lab after their encounter with Darcy on their floor.

"Tony?" Clint asked gently, approaching the table where their team mate was playing with parts of his suit. "Hey!" He said taking a chance at touching Tony's shoulder. The man jumped out of his chair surprised. He looked tired and sad, and all in all, not that much better than the woman they had just left a couple of floors below. At least they had hope Tony would talk to them, Darcy hadn't.

"Is she okay?" Tony asked them without saying hello first.

"She is cleaning." Steve told him shrugging.

"That's not good. She only cleans when she is stressed or sad." Tony told them and went back to his work dismissing them completely.

"Tony?" Clint tried again but the man only shrugged and didn't look away. "What happened today?"

"We went to the mansion…" Tony said not looking away from what he was doing. "I only showed some of what I wanted to her but she didn't say a word and after about an hour she just flee the place." Tony explained finally turning toward them. "I don't know what I did wrong, and now she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you. If she did she wouldn't be in the tower." Steve assured him.

"She run to Happy, asked him to brought her back here without waiting for me." Tony kept going. "She didn't want to be near me."

"Tony, you know that's not true." Clint told him kneeling to be at eye level with him. "She loves you, she just needs to process."

Steve knelt next to him to ask. "What did you show her?"

"You should take care of her not me." Tony told them trying to push them away.

"You're a part of the family too, Tony, and now we want to be here." Steve assured him just in time for JARVIS to interrupt them.

 _I took the liberty to ask Mister Sam and Mister Logan for their help, they are on their way to Miss Stark right now._

"Okay, we need to talk but first I want to know. Why is JARVIS calling Sam and Logan by their first name?" Clint asked Tony.

 _Mister Logan doesn_ _'t have a last name and the rules of the house don_ _'t allow me to call him Wolverine on down time. Misters Wade and Sam have the same last name and Mister Sam volunteered to not be called Mister Wilson as the formality of my programming seemed to be pleasing Mister Wilson so much._

"Make sense." Clint said nodding to himself. "What is it going to take for you to call me Clint?" He asked not for the first time, just to see if the answer had changed but also because he was pretty sure Tony had never heard it.

 _You need to marry my big sister._

"JARVIS?!" Tony yelped suddenly aware of his surrounding and looking happy.

 _I am sorry if I offended you Sir._

"You so did not do that my friend." Tony told him. "You two would be more comfortable on the couch." He said to Clint and Steve still kneeling in front of him. "I'll tell you what happened."

Darcy was cleaning, she knew it was stress cleaning, she liked her place to be messy, lived in, but here she was cleaning it methodically. Putting the books back in their respective places on the shelfs, disposing of the Chinese food on the fridge that had been there for a while, she was also on her second load of clothes, something that was usually Clint's job, because for some weird reason he thought dealing with the washing machine and the dryer was relaxing.

What started to freak her out was that she was cleaning the guest bathroom tub with a toothbrush, at the moment, and it was disturbing on so many levels, the first of which being that no one ever used it but she still felt compelled to get rid of the dust that wasn't even there.

"Darcy?" She heard and this time at least it wasn't any of her boyfriends. They had been there earlier, she was pretty sure of it, but she just wasn't ready to talk to them, or to anyone for that matter.

"Go away I am busy." She told the voice not even looking up to know who she was talking to.

"Give me the toothbrush, Darcy." Another voice told her, an open hand appearing in front of her.

"I am not done, you can have it when I am done." She told them.

"Darcy!" The first voice said louder, but gentle carrying still. "Give the toothbrush to Logan."

"But…" She said and looked up at them, they seemed concerned for her and she knew they were not as easy as the Avengers to get rid of, those two would stay and poke until she complied. "Fine…" She said giving the toothbrush to Logan as asked "… But I am not done." She told them accepting the help to get out of the bath tub. "I have other things I have to clean."

"No." Sam grabbed her into a hug. "You're done cleaning."

"I need to clean. I don't want to think." Darcy mumbled in his sweat shirt.

"Thinking can be good with a little help." Sam told her.

"Talk to us Darcy." Logan suggested. "We just want to make sure you are okay."

"I can't." She told them pleadingly. She didn't want to talk, she didn't want to think, she didn't want to be around the Avengers and their links.

"Just us." Logan told her and she wondered if she said it outload but she doubted it, they must have just felt it somehow. She nodded at them from her place against Sam's chest since he was still hugging her. "We're not doing it in the bathroom though." Logan complained making her giggle.

Sam didn't even ask he just tugged her against his chest and carried her to the bed in the room, soon both of them were laying down around her, she had to admit, she felt safe and like maybe she could think again but she was tired and her body hurt from all the cleaning she did.

"We thought you were spending the day with Tony at the Stark mansion?" Sam asked her and she nodded.

"Did something happen in there?" Logan wondered pushing her hair away from her face, but she didn't want to talk yet so she just nodded once more.

"Was it something bad?" Sam asked but Darcy didn't really know, she didn't want to answer, she wasn't sure of what happened, of why she fled, or why being in this house with Tony surrounded by the proofs of his affection for her messed her up so much, so she just shrugged.

"Is it possible that it was a good thing but you don't know how to process it, and it hurts?" Sam asked again, Darcy nodded feeling a few tears rolling against her cheeks.

"Was too much." She told him.

"That's too bad because they all have plans to make you feel loved and wanted, and you're going to run out of things to clean soon." Sam told her brushing away her tears. "Plus, the bots are going to be all moody and pouting if you take their job away."

"No one wants that." Darcy said with a smile.

"Want to tell us what's wrong?" Logan poked. "Maybe we can help. I am super old, and Sam is very smart, we will find the answers for you." He told her only half joking, playing on the jokes she kept playing on him about being older than Steve.

"We went to the Mansion." Darcy told them but they already knew that and Sam did just admit that they all had a similar plan. "He showed me the upper floor." Which didn't seem to surprise them, but they encouraged her to keep going. "It was my floor, not in a stalker way, not like if there were pictures of me taken by a private detective or something like that, it was different." She told them and waited but they looked curious about it, they didn't know about that part. "There were bedrooms. Several of them, carefully decorated. One for every big moment of my life where he thought maybe my mom would need a place to live and come to stay with him."

"That sounds really nice. Did you like the rooms?" Sam asked her.

"They were just like the one I dreamed of." Darcy told him. "He said he build the first one after Jarvis died, it helped him cop with his death to focus on something else by thinking about the only person he loved that was still in his life and so he focused on me." Darcy told them with a little smile.

"What was the next one?" Logan pushed curious, patting a gentle hand on her back making her turn around so she would be able to look at the both of them.

"When Tasha got hurt I had to go to the emergency, Tony agreed to move my mom and I so we wouldn't be in trouble but he still planned for it, sort of a just-in-case thing." Darcy told them. "That room was every 6 years old dream, with a pink and blue bicycle, and rows and rows of books explaining the all universe to a little girl like me, a big princess bed, VHS of Disney movies, and wrapped presents both for birthdays and for Christmas, those had little Santa's on the wrapping paper. Everything was pink and baby blue." She made them both laugh with this one. "Not my taste either, but he had never met me so I guess he just did what he found on pictures."

"Were there others?" Sam asked her, while she was in a talkative mood she guessed.

"Several others in fact." Darcy told them barely above a whisper. "He explained he built one after Clint, another after Phil, and a last one when we left for Vegas."

"That sounds nice." Sam told her. "But you already knew Tony loved you so what went wrong?"

"The room he built after Clint, it was the exact replica of the room I had when it happened. Nothing extravagant, it definitely didn't look like the first ones, everything was in the right place." She told them and felt silent.

"Darcy?" Logan asked after a while.

"He came to the hospital. I asked how he knew about the room and he said he came to the hospital, he was there every day while I was in a coma from the explosion, he stayed at our house when the nurses would kick him out of my room, he said the day I woke up he came to talk to me but my mom told me he was a doctor and soon he had to leave he didn't want me to be mad at her if I found out the truth, plus it was their agreement and him being there was already putting her on edge, so he left." Darcy told them, crying once more and just happy that they were both grounding her to the moment and to the bed or she would be back into her cleaning frenzy.

It was the thing she didn't want to think about or at least one of them, the rooms had been nice, and although it made her feel uneasy that he kept all of them instead of simply changing one as time passed by, it made her feel loved and cared for, he had been waiting for her to be in his life and now she was there and she didn't know how to have a dad. It had been fun as long as she thought it was a weird gesture due to the bonds but this was different.

There was a reason why Elizabeth asked if they could be friends when she had been old enough to understand, she never really had a mom, a family. For her Elizabeth was the person that kept food in the fridge, and clothes on her shoulders. Elizabeth, her books and the people from child services they all told her that it was what a mom was supposed to do and she was fine with that, Elizabeth was a good mom. She kept telling the Avengers that they were touch starved and it was the reason why she kept cuddling them, and hugging them, but the truth was that she wasn't that better than them. Elizabeth never had time for that kind of things, always working, too busy to do all those things that people at school kept talking about, like cooking, cuddling, reading stories, helping with homework, doing shopping trips, teaching her how to do her hair. Darcy was fine with it, her mom worked a lot. April changed that first, suddenly Elizabeth had all the time in the world, as long as it was for her baby girl.

Entered Tony, the busiest man she ever met but he still had time to come and hover while she was at the hospital, when the nurses had told her that her mom couldn't be there because she was at work after she woke up, he took the time to build her bedrooms, he kept tabs on her, he missed her, he made her think of all those dads she used to hear about. He would have been one those dads that would scare off her first date, teach her how to fish, well maybe not fish, maybe repair her car instead. Tony would have taught her how to drive, something she actually never learned from anyone, she wasn't going to school anymore when she was of age and her mom had work, aunt Shelbey too, then New York. Sharon was right, she didn't even have her driving license.

And there was this other thing, Bucky, if Tony was the perfect archetype Dad, what did it meant for Bucky, because Tony had chosen to do all of that for her, he could have adopted her and nothing more, but maybe Bucky would have done all that too, maybe he would have been there every day to get her back home from school, maybe he would have yelled at his best friend for dating her, he would have taught her how to defend herself. she didn't know how to make sure they could both have a place in her life, or even if she should try, they said maybe they would never find Bucky, maybe they would never tell him about her, and it would hurt just as much as if he knew and didn't want her, she was sure of that.

"Darcy?" Logan asked her in a whisper.

"I don't know how to do it." She admitted to Sam and Logan.

"There is no textbook on how to be Tony's daughter or anyone's daughter." Sam told her.

"And even if there was I am sure you would try to do everything they said not to do." Logan said making her giggle.

"It's not just him, how do I make sure to have enough space for everyone? What he did hurt because I would have loved to have him around when I was growing up. It's the same for all of them, for all of you. You all deserve a part of me. I am not sure I'll be strong enough to do it. I don't want to play favorite." Darcy admitted. "Except with Clint and Steve" she added.

"What do you think you've been doing since you moved in here?" Sam asked her.

"Cooking, organizing, cuddling, I do what I have to." She said glaring at him.

"Not what you have to, what you want to." Logan corrected her.

"Same thing." She said rolling her teary eyes at him.

"No not the same, I wouldn't have done half of it." Logan told her.

"Me neither." Sam pushed.

"So, what? I am nicer than you that's all." She told them sticking her tongue at them.

"You're more than enough for all of them, and you still have some to share with us or with Barnes once we find him." Logan told her in a voice that wasn't supposed to be questioned and so Darcy didn't say anything against it. Maybe she could make sure to keep a little space for Bucky without keeping herself away from Tony on purpose. A lot more than what she kept for Elizabeth since her mom left, but Bucky couldn't take her place, Pepper wanted that one already.

"Did you like what Tony did for you?" Sam asked again.

"The rooms were really pretty." Darcy told him with a big smile.

"Do we have to tell the others not to go along with their plan?" Logan wondered.

"They really love me, don't they?" Darcy asked them unsure.

"They do, we all do." Sam told him and kicked Logan's feet for him to agree.

"Yeah all of us. But if you tell on me, I'll kill your cat." Logan told her.

"Don't have a cat." Darcy told him chuckling. "Just make sure I have plenty of stuff to clean." She finally said to Sam. "If they want to do something nice I won't say no."

"They are doing it for you Darcy." Sam told her sighing. She knew what he was trying to tell her but she wasn't ready to admit they loved her and wanted to be around her, her boyfriends had been hard enough to assimilate.

"You have to understand." She said after a moment of silence. "I don't know if Elizabeth did it to protect me or because she really believed it, but she wasn't the only one. I was told that I didn't have any bonds it was just in my head, like an imaginary friend, that even if I had bond marks I needed to stop caring so damn much about everyone because no one would feel the same, people were just too self-absorb and they would never care like I did, it was stupid to hope and I would be better off alone."

"You're not alone." Sam told her at the same time as Logan said "We are not imaginary." Letting his claws out.

"That's not really helping the 'we are not imaginary' part, Pal." Darcy told him poking her fingers against the metal.

"Did Natasha getting shot help you realize they were real?" Sam asked her.

"Being real doesn't mean caring." She told them pouting.

"Then let them show you they care. Let yourself be convinced." Logan told her. "Give them a chance. Might be hard but I think they won't deceive you. If they do you can move in with us."

"I won't go against it. That's all I can promise. I'll stay open to them. I'll see if they can undo what I was taught all my life." Darcy told them pushing Logan to get out of bed.

"You're not going to go cleaning again, are you?" Logan asked, helping her out of the bed.

"No, I have someone I need to see." She told him. "You said I need to give them a chance. So, I need for him to know that he doesn't have to keep trying this hard."

"Send us your boyfriends, we'll start on dinner." Sam told her with a hug and a kiss on top of her head.

"They with Tony?" She asked shyly.

"If you were cleaning, he was working, they wouldn't want for you to start feeling guilty because he hurt himself." Sam explained and she nodded.

Darcy, Logan and Sam took the waiting elevator, _thank you JARVIS_ , to the common floor, the men going toward the kitchen after she thanked them for their help, even though she did all the work herself. Darcy took the stairs to go to the lab, a half floor above her. Steve and Clint must have seen her coming because they were getting out of the lab when she got to the last step.

"Hi!" she told them shyly but sighed happily when they hugged her tightly. "Thank you for taking care of him."

"It's what members of a family do." Steve told her with a kiss.

"I am learning what it means too, I guess." She explained.

"Do you feel better?" Clint asked her.

"I think so. Logan and Sam helped." She told them. "I guess Sam is used to deal with family problems and Logan knows what it means to create a family when no one is blood related." She told them just realizing it herself.

"I am just glad they were able to help you." Steve told her hugging her tighter.

"They said everyone is planning a surprise for me." She said looking at her boyfriends.

"They were not supposed to tell you." Clint complained.

"They were worried I'll start cleaning the outside of the tower once I was done with the inside." She explained joking. "They didn't give me any details. Just made sure I would be able to deal with it."

"Will you?" Clint asked her.

"I don't know if I am ready for everyone to return my affection but I guess it would be kind of selfish to tell them I don't want them to love me back." She told them. "You'll probably need to remind me it's normal once in a while, keep me grounded."

"I am sure we can do that." Steve told her with another kiss.

"I came up here to see Tony." she finally told them after she took some time to enjoy the kisses and the hugs.

"We figured." Clint told her nodding at Steve who left them together walking toward the kitchen.

"Is there a problem?" She asked him.

"No problem, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Clint told her.

"Couldn't do that with Steve around?" She asked him suspicious.

"I think he is getting used to the fact that some things are only related to the bonds and not to our relationship." Clint told her.

"Feels wrong." Darcy told him pouting.

"I know, we'll fix it with time." Clint assured her.

Being in his arms felt good, she felt safe surrounded by Clint and Steve, but hugging Clint felt different, when the purpose was to steady the bond, whether it was after she disconnected him or after she had troubles with something, until she was in Clint's arms there was this itch under her skin that she couldn't scratch, but being in his arms was like putting a balm on it. It didn't work that way with any of the others. Steve had told them what he figured out at the X-men mansion, about them being two part of an all, carved to fit around each other, but he wasn't scared, didn't want out, he seemed perfectly happy with their predicament, he explain how it made him feel wanted and loved that they chose to add him to their world, but it seemed that they needed to do more adding yet to make sure that he would never change his mind.

"He left before I had a chance to tell him I love him." Darcy said kissing Clint deeply. "Tell him for me?" She asked putting a gentler kiss on his lips.

"Might distract him from cooking if I do that to him." Clint told her chuckling.

"Sam and Logan can handle the cooking." She told him. "I'll meet you in a couple of minutes, maybe 10." She promised with another kiss, before stepping out of his hug.

She was feeling amazing, just like after every hugs they shared, and it was only getting stronger the more intimate they became in their relationship ,the more she loved him and Steve, the more his hugs were efficient, like a well-cared drug, she could feel it expand the more she let the others in too, like if Clint mirrored all of it and forced her to look at it, to accept it, to feel it through him. Hulk could calm her, make her not as angry as she could get sometimes. Clint appeased her, made her feel like she used to after yoga, but better, stronger. She wished she hadn't promised not to use Tess again, she wanted to share everything with Steve, and it seemed like this was the one thing she couldn't do on her own, the shield allowed her to share feelings, emotions, caresses, easily enough with Steve, but this part of Clint was different it was only coming from the bond and that wasn't something she could share, just like she couldn't share any of the other side effects through the shield.

"Need to speak to Tony." She told him again, walking away from him. "Love you too by the way." She said just before entering the lab with a wave.

She looked inside the lab when she didn't see Tony immediately. She finally found him under one of his desk trying to grab an uncooperative screwdriver.

"Hey Dad, you need some help with that?" She asked without even thinking about it, only remembering what she said when she saw him freeze under the desk. "Tony?"

"You called me Dad." He said getting out from under the desk to look at her.

"You said you wanted me too." She told him nervous.

"I did. I do. I really, really do." He said standing up to hug her. "I was just surprised but I liked it. A lot."

"I think I liked it too." Darcy told him relaxing in his arms. "I am sorry for stealing Happy and living you there." She said after a while.

"That's okay Honey, I had a suit in the house, I was back before you were." He admitted.

"I am sorry I got scared." She kept going starting to cry again.

"Stop apologizing, Darce, please." Tony told her. "I should have sat down with you and explain what I wanted to show you, what happened, not ambush you like that."

"Why did you left? At the hospital? I don't even remember you being there." Darcy admitted.

"A journalist saw me a couple of hours before you woke up and I wanted to stay no matter the consequences but then you woke up and your mom said I was a doctor, I couldn't tell you she lied. I left before too many people started asking question to the nurses." He told her. "Obie sent me to California and I stayed there."

"You never told him about me." She said more as an affirmation than a question.

"I never had to. He never questioned anything, just assumed I was with the woman of the week and moved on." Tony explained.

"Thank you for protecting me." Darcy told him for the first time since she found out about the adoption.

"I'll do it all over again." Tony told her. "Getting to know you now it hurt to not have been there when you grew up but I would do it anyway, to keep you away from him."

"Are we okay?" Darcy asked him needing to know if all was forgiven.

"We're always okay." He told her kissing her forehead.

"Will we still be okay after we found Bucky?" She asked him "It's not is fault he wasn't there either."

"Will be okay, I promise." Tony told her again. "You should go be with your boyfriends, they were worried about you."

"Are you going to go back to brooding?" She asked him, not sure she could leave him alone in that case.

"Are you crazy?" Tony told her with a grin. "My daughter called me 'Dad' for the first time, I have to call and annoy Rhodey, and then I am going to buy something expensive for Pepper so we can celebrate together."

"Okay, you celebrate all you want but dinner at 7, Sam and Logan are cooking, that's not something you want to miss." Darcy told him with a kiss on his cheek. "Tell 'hi' to Uncle Rhodey for me." She said walking back toward the door. "And Dad, don't buy me anything, I am not a baby saying her first words."

"Sorry, Dear, I didn't hear anything after 'Dad'." He told her asking JARVIS to call Rhodey before she could answer him.


	75. Graduating from life

**Graduating from life.**

Honestly Darcy was a little on edge, Clint, Steve, Sam and Logan had told her everyone was planning to emotionally ambush her but nothing was happening. Or more accurately, life, in all its ordinary glory, was happening. She was helping Jane plan her trip. She told Pepper that there was no way she would be wearing a bright yellow dress to their wedding, or baby pink for that matter. She juggled between calling Tony, Dad or not, it was taking some time to get used to it, plus she was feeling guilty about not calling Pepper mom every time the woman was around the both of them, so she just let it out naturally never forcing herself, and she guessed Tony understood, because he never complained. Her boyfriends were busy, and so was she, but they still found time to snuggle in front of the TV, or get lazy in bed on Sunday morning. Natasha was absent, which wasn't weird on itself, she was helping Logan and Wade in Russia, but Darcy missed her anyway and she wanted to be able to tell her to let herself go.

Bruce and Betty were the weirdest though, always talking in hushed voices around her, receiving secret phone calls, but she was on to them. Truth be told what was getting her on edge was the fact that she kept finding them together. She had been living with them for a while now and she always had to drag them to one another for them to do something together but here they were not needing her anymore.

"Okay enough with the secrets, what's going on with you two?" She finally asked after they fell silent when she entered Bruce's lab for their usual weekly lunch. "You're supposed to have lunch with me." She told to Bruce. "I usually need forceps and promise of extended lab hours to get the two of you to go on a date and now you're always together, you're complotting something." She accused them of.

"It's nothing bad Darcy, we just wanted to make sure before we told you." Betty assured her.

"Well, you could tell me now, and we'll wait together to see if it's sure." Darcy suggested.

"We did something for you." Bruce told her, his voice a little unsure.

"I kind of knew that already. Sam and Logan said you all have something for me. I just don't know what it is." Darcy told them sighing as she was stamping impatiently. They were all driving her crazy, but somehow the uncertainty, the unknown, the wait, helped her accept that she wanted what they were ready to give her, she was even anxious for it. "What did you do?" She asked again.

"The papers you wrote for your work, the letters to the senators, the prep work for our hearings, the lobbying essay you wrote about Barnes being a Prisoner of War…" Bruce started and Darcy became anxious for a very different reason. "We black out your name but we sent it all to our colleagues at Culver, telling them that the person in charge here didn't have her degree because she had to give up school and we were trying to convince her to go back and get her degree…" He kept going.

"We asked them if they could grade them as if it was free study, and to get back to us, and the plan was to show them to you and tell you that you should enroll in Colombia or NYU and finish your last year of college." Betty finished.

"They hated it, didn't they?" Darcy told them shrugging, sure she would like to get her degree but she already had a job, one that nothing in the world could top, and not that much time to spare on classes anyway, plus to get to school, she'd have to get outside of the tower. "The senators they always hate it when I send them stuff." She added as a joke to show them that she didn't really care. "It's nice that you tried though. You believed in me and I really appreciate it."

"Would you just shut up for 5 minutes?" Bruce told her with a heavy sigh and both Darcy and Betty looked at him shocked. "What? She goes to the worst conclusion first all the freaking time." He told Betty. "I never get to give her good news."

"There is good news to be given?" Darcy asked perking up a little.

"They loved your papers, you got really good grades on all of them, and some of the professors even offered to write you letters of recommendations." Bruce told her with a glee.

"Yeah me!" Darcy said cheering on herself.

"We did something else." Betty added.

"You convinced the others to let me go to school?" Darcy asked them but looking at Bruce and Betty in front of her it was clearly not what they did. "I am not going back to school." She affirmed.

"Well, maybe we can try if you really want to go to grad school." Betty assured her.

"I could tell them that I'll go with you, you would have Hulk to protect you around campus." Bruce offered.

"No, it's cool, I don't have the time anyway, you all keep me really busy." She admitted with a smile. "What was that about grad school?" She asked looking up at Betty. "I have to graduate first. I know you went through all that already, you should remember how it works." She chastised her.

"Darcy, our 5 minutes are not up." Bruce reminded her and Darcy mimed locking her mouth.

"We told our colleagues your name, and they remembered you, they were wondering why you didn't come back." Bruce explained.

"But that's for another time." Betty told him.

"Oh yeah, 5 minutes. So, we told them and we were waiting on the dean's decision because with all the papers you wrote for work counting both as free studies and as an internship, we thought you could graduate this year just like you planned." He finished explaining.

"Oh!" Darcy said surprised. She never thought it would be possible, or well she thought if she had mentioned it around either Tony or Pepper, they would have offered money to the school to make it happen but Bruce and Betty used her work, they were proud of her, and thought she was smart enough to be a graduate. "That's amazing. Do you think it will work?"

"Actually, it did, you will be able to have your degree if we can get Pepper to sign some papers saying you were interning for her this year, which shouldn't be a problem." Bruce admitted.

"What are you still conspiring about then?" Darcy wondered.

"We were trying to see how hard it would be to get you to your graduation ceremony." Betty explained.

"I don't want to go." Darcy told them honestly and without a second thought about it. "I, actually, never planned on going."

"You don't want to go?" Bruce asked dubious.

"Well I never told my mom I was planning on graduating this year, I used to have it all figured out, I was going to hop on a plane as soon as my last final was done so I could join Jane in whatever country she would have been in. Or maybe Clint if he could get a leave of absence to spend some time with me." Darcy explained. "But that was first week of class, then Loki happened and I started living here with everyone I love and care for so I don't have to chase after them all around the world doesn't mean I want to go to Culver wear polyester all day just to get something that will not even be my diploma since they'll send that by mail one to two weeks later."

"But I know we all really looked for it." Bruce told her disappointed.

"And how did you see it happen?" Darcy asked him curious and a little annoyed that they didn't thought it through. "You, Jane and Betty are well known around campus, that's not even mentioning Mom and Dad, or my Boyfriends. How do you plan on hiding Thor so no one notice he is there? The media would be all over it in minutes if you guys all came to Culver to see me walk a straight line." She explained.

"Well that's what we were working on." Betty told her.

"I suppose Tony is planning a party to celebrate." Darcy wondered.

"Yes, he is but he promised to keep it discreet just us, the friends you made with the X men and some of Thor's friend if he can contact them." Bruce assured her.

"That's enough for me, I'll have everyone I care about celebrating my achievement with me I don't need the polyester and the weird hat, I am not a hat person. It will be the first time someone is throwing a party for me, I am happy that it's for my brain." Darcy told them beaming.

"Are you sure about it?" Betty asked her.

"Am I sure I don't want to have nightmares about your dad invading the school yard to get Bruce because he would know Bruce wouldn't turn into Hulk in the middle of civilians, not anymore? I don't want to have to deal with the paparazzi and the frenzy that would go with wondering why you were all there for me. I can't even imagine if one of them catches me with Tony or Pepper and starts digging, or if they catch Clint and Steve holding hands or kissing because they would forget they were not at the tower anymore." Darcy admitted. "I don't want to hide." She told them before they could argue. "But I don't want to be out either, and if I ever feel ready to be a Stark or to be known as Clint and Steve's girlfriend, or for them to out themselves, it needs to be on our terms not the medias."

"By, if you feel ready, you mean if you're ever not in danger, right?" Betty asked her.

"I'll always be in danger." Darcy admitted "Even if among your father's soldiers no one remembers me, there're still be Hydra, they know Tony's legally my dad, SHIELD had my DNA and I guess for now they didn't look into it but they certainly will if my link to more Avengers gets known, they'd find out about Bucky, all of which would make me a target as soon as it gets public. Dating Steve and Clint is like the less risky thing in my life." Darcy told them.

"You can't hide in here forever." Bruce said, repeating to her something she had told him the first time she tried to get Bruce to go on a date with Betty.

"I don't plan on it. I just want to have a plan, to be sure I won't blow up half a block just because someone outside pissed me off, I need to be in control. When I have all that, I'll get out, and terrify the people who would want to try and grab me." Darcy told them grinning. "I'll be safe and you will too." She said kissing Bruce's cheek.

"You're protecting Hulk?" Bruce asked her surprised.

"I protect what's mine, it's in my nature." Darcy reminded him.

"Darce?" Bruce breathed out.

"I don't know if I would be able to bare it if I lost one of you, even worst is the feeling that it's mutual, you don't want to lose me either, so I need to make sure it's safe, like you all do. Clint and Natasha never miss their target and are really good at disappearing in the crowd, Steve is extremely careful when he is using his strength, Tony doesn't use the suit on civilians, Pepper doesn't use her powers period, and since you moved in you can control your anger, Tony helps with that…" She said giggling. "…Hulk learned to interact with people and you got to interact with each other." She reminded him. "We are all evolving. I am just taking more time than others."

"Darce!" Bruce whispered again.

"It's okay, I want to know what would happen if I let go and open the locked doors. I want to know if I could affect you too, or if it's just a one-way thing, after all you were all supposed to take care of me and the side effects don't really scream 'You're safe with us' they have to have other purposes, I want to find out what it is." Darcy told them, while thinking.

"Charles said that to really master a skill I have to know myself first. He said that both aspect can be scary but it helps gain control, helps not letting ourselves sink into fear or sorrow. So, I want to explore and learn. If I have to save the Earth or the universe one day with you, I am not going to hide behind the lines, wishing in vain that I won't be too scared for Hulk to concentrate or that Tasha wouldn't be hurt so bad I wouldn't be able to be of any help when needed making things even worse. I am not going to look as Villains kill the people I care for. I will however learn how to be what the stones want and need, I'll be, well not in the first line because my Dads won't let me do that, and my Boyfriends either, but I'll fight, I'll bring the trouble to Thanos and I will not back down until everyone is safe. I can certainly do that alone with enough work and devotion, but something tells me the bonds are meant to show me that I don't have to. It took me a while but I want your help, all of you, I will do anything you ask, and I will listen when you tell me that you can help, I will look into everything we can find until my powers are like breathing to me, easy and safe." She declared.

"Did you take lessons on mobilization speech from Steve?" Sam, which she hadn't notice coming in, asked her.

"I might have fangirled a little, listening to the speech he did before you took out Pierce and the strike teams." Darcy admitted.

"It was a good speech." Sam said dreamingly.

"Hey! No, fangirling on my man." She told him punching his shoulder.

"Is there a reason you are here Sam?" Bruce asked him a little coldly, to which Darcy raised an eyebrow at.

"Oh yeah. Thor managed to impale himself on a banister on the roof. He will heal, since, you know, it's Thor, but if you could do something so it will stop bleeding, Pepper would be grateful." Sam told them eyes pleading for Betty's help.

"That's great, because it was my turn to have lunch with Bruce." Darcy said taking the crook of the scientist's arm and guiding him away only pausing to kiss Betty's cheek. "Thanks for everything you did, but you can stop looking I really don't care about the ceremony, I just want a big cake at the party." With that they were gone, leaving both Betty and Sam laughing behind them.

"You're in a good mood." Bruce conceded.

"I've been feeling exponentially better for a while now." Darcy admitted. "Who knew letting people love you back could be so good for your skin?" She joked.

"Well Tony, you and Betty forced that theory on me." Bruce told her.

"You're still looking a little green my scientific friend, we need to get you to love more people, or for the people you already care for to care back, I don't discriminate." She kept joking with him.

"I like my green look just find, I don't think he would suddenly turn pink just because you convinced the entire population of this planet to love him." Bruce told her rolling his eyes.

"Well no, you would have to love them all back for it to work. He might be big, but I don't think he has that much stamina." Darcy said making Bruce choke on his breath.

"Please don't spoil my lunch." Bruce told her and Darcy kissed his cheek laughing, while leading them to their usual spot on the common level library, where they could eat in peace. "You really look happy though." He admitted. "I am glad for you."

"I have to admit I feel a little high. JARVIS checked nothing abnormal is going on, just maybe a little less oxygen in my cells or something about oxygen. _J_?" Darcy asked.

 _Miss Stark_ _'s oxygen intake seems to have been decreasing regularly for the past couple of days but nothing dangerous her vitals are still higher than normal. She just seems to be suffering from light headaches at the end of the day. I took the liberty to relay those data to Dr Ross and I am counteracting the decrease by increasing oxygen levels around the tower to the same levels._

"JARVIS send the data to my desk too, please." Bruce asked.

 _Should I be giving them to Sir also?_

"No." Bruce and Darcy answered at the same time laughing.

 _I will proceed as requested._

"Thank you, JARVIS." Darcy said. "There is no problem big guy, he says that my breathing is worse after I exercise with Tasha and that it resembles what Thor is going through after he lands, though it only takes a few hours for him to go back to normal." She explained.

"Your body is preparing you for outer space?" Bruce asked her.

"Well, the stones are out there, Thanos is too, so maybe it's like natural evolution or something. I feel perfectly fine." She told him.

"The second you're…" Bruce started but Darcy stopped him.

"If I feel dizzy, or out of breath, I'll go find Betty, I promise. I still think it will go away on its own. It's not like it's the first time something weird happened to me." Darcy reminded him.

"You mean it's coming from the bonds?" Bruce asked curious half his sandwich on the way to his mouth.

"I mean it might be coming from one of them." Darcy agreed. "I never had JARVIS to monitor me closely before, but it's possible, who knows."

"Well we could." Bruce told her shrugging.

"If it worsens, you have my consent to test and probe, you can even tell Tony and let him help. But this is not enough to provoke a bond connection, it might just be the last one trying to get me to remember he exists." She told him.

"So it's a he?" Bruce asked her.

"Did I not mention that?" Darcy wondered.

"Not since we came back from the X-Men mansion." Bruce told her.

"Well he is, a He." Darcy told him drinking her soda.

"Since when do you know?" Bruce asked and she had to wonder, because she was pretty sure she never realized it before it just came out of her mouth, but if she had to take a guess…

"It's been a couple of days. Just before _J_ alerted me about the oxygen thingy I guess that's how I figured they were related." She explained.

"Did it always happen like that?" Bruce asked her clearly curious now.

"I don't know, I was just a kid when Tasha and Clint appeared, I was a little older for Phil but between moving, Tasha getting hurt and trying to not listen in on Clint all the time, I didn't really try to find a pattern. I was an adult for Tony, and there was a lot of alcohol involved that year. And for you, well you know the condition Tony and I were in a couple of weeks before Loki appeared, and not just that but Thor blowing up my believes in the universe, I wouldn't be able to tell if something different happened. I didn't even know I had another until you all showed me the videos of Hulk." Darcy reminded him. "For all I know it's just the beginning of a new side effect nothing more."

"Your side effects suck." Bruce told her returning to their previous, funnier banter.

"I am sorry doctor, I will try and make it not 'Suck'." She said exaggerating shock.

"You promise you're safe though." Bruce asked seriously.

"I am not leaving this tower which means I'll be under JARVIS's constant hovering from here to the rest of time." Darcy reminded him. "No one can be medically safer than I am."

"Perfect." Bruce said with a big smile making Darcy grin in return and even go as far as to give him her cookie which the traitor took and ate.


End file.
